“It is a blow In the last five years, we have reached every parish in the state. … This grant was terminated by the NEH, but it is the state of Louisiana that loses.”
MIRANDA RESTOVIC, president and chief executive of the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities
BY JAN RISHER and JENNA ROSS Staff writers
The email from the National Endowment for the Humanities came at 11:38 p.m. on April 2. It landed in Miranda Restovic’s spam folder
The message: A partnership that had lasted more than 50 years between the federal agency and the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities had ended overnight
“NEH has reasonable cause to terminate your grant in light of the fact that the NEH is repurposing its funding allocations in a new direction in furtherance of the President’s agenda,” said the email, signed by Michael McDonald, the endowment’s acting chairman.
For Restovic, president and chief executive of the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities, which leads and funds arts and cultural initiatives across the state, it meant that $600,000, or 20% of its annual budget, was gone.
“It is a blow,” said Restovic. “In the last
five years, we have reached every parish in the state This grant was terminated by the NEH, but it is the state of Louisiana that loses.”
The Trump administration, aided by billionaire Elon Musk, is slashing federal spending in the name of removing bloat and waste. In recent days, Louisiana officials learned they are set to lose hundreds of millions of dollars in FEMA funding to protect against storms and tens of millions of dollars in funding for public health. The state’s farmers are dealing with the loss of some $350 million in agricultural programs and subsidies. Now, Louisiana’s museums, libraries and cultural organizations are grappling with — or bracing for — dramatic cuts as well.
In addition to the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities, an array of other institutions have been notified of cuts — including Tulane University, LSU, Southern University and the University of Louisiana at
ä See CUTS, page 5A
Judge rules student is deportable
Columbia University activist held at ICE facility in Jena
BY JOHN SIMERMAN Staff writer
JENA — An immigration judge on Friday agreed with the Trump administration that Mahmoud Khalil, the Columbia University student activist and legal permanent resident who is accused of speaking out at the expense of U.S. foreign policy, is deportable.
At a hearing inside the heavily secured Central Louisiana ICE Processing Center, Judge Jamee Comans found that the government had shown that Khalil can legally be expelled. However, the decision won’t immediately end Khalil’s stay in the Louisiana lockup, which has now run for a month.
Comans set an April 23 deadline for his attorneys to prove their case for asylum or other relief that would enable him to remain in the U.S. If they fail, Khalil would be deported to Syria or Algeria, the judge said.
Wearing prayer beads and a navy jumpsuit, Khalil spoke briefly in court, according to news accounts. He said there was “nothing more important than due process rights and fundamental fairness,” adding in reference to another statement in court, “Clearly what we witnessed today, neither of these principles were present.”
The arrest of Khalil, 30, who was not charged with a crime, was followed by several others of noncitizen activists who are legally in the U.S. on visas. It’s viewed as a test case for the Trump administration’s power to deport protesters for their political views.
Administration officials have said they are targeting supporters of Hamas for
ä See JUDGE, page 5A
to lead La. Health Department
BY EMILY WOODRUFF Staff writer
Bruce Greenstein, a longtime public health official who led the Louisiana Department of Health more than a decade ago before resigning amid a contracting scandal, has been appointed by Gov Jeff Landry to once again lead the agency In announcing the appointment on Friday, Landry called Greenstein, who has served in several leadership roles at state and federal health agencies, a leader with a “deep understanding of health care systems, from Greenstein
ä See GREENSTEIN, page 4A
Lawmakers looking to avoid teacher pay cuts
Funding sought to maintain stipends
BY PATRICK WALL Staff writer
Just a few months ago, Louisiana’s teachers were basking in praise for helping students lead the country in reading gains. Now those same educators are staring down a pay cut.
Annual $2,000 stipends that teachers received for the past two years are set to expire after this school year ends, as are $1,000
stipends for school support staff. Gov. Jeff Landry’s spending plan for next fiscal year does not include the stipends.
This week, several state lawmakers said they won’t allow the state’s public school teachers — whose salaries lag the regional average by thousands of dollars to endure a $2,000 pay cut when Louisiana’s education system is on the rise.
“There’s just no way that we can discontinue what they have received for the past two years,” said Rep. Jason Hughes, D-New
ä See TEACHER, page 4A
STAFF PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER
Students walk past masquerades by Sheku ‘Goldenfinger’ Fofanah, of Sierra Leone, while visiting an exhibit at the New Orleans Museum of Art on Tuesday. The grant that helped bring the exhibit to New Orleans is among those terminated last week by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
STAFF FILE PHOTO By JAVIER GALLEGOS
Gov. Jeff Landry and state officials celebrated Louisiana’s educational progress in January. Now, teachers who helped achieve those gains could face a pay cut.
Khalil
STAFF PHOTO By CHRIS GRANGER
Sabrine Mohamad, right, a human rights attorney with the Southern Poverty Law Center, is consoled by Fatima Kahn as they and others gather outside the ICE detention center in Jena on Friday.
U.S. pastor abducted at gunpoint in South Africa
JOHANNESBURG A pastor was abducted by armed and masked men as he was preaching a sermon before a congregation in South Africa’s Eastern Cape province, police said Friday.
Four men broke into the Fellowship Baptist church in Motherwell Township on Thursday evening, stole two cellphones from members of the congregation and took away the pastor in his own truck, said police, who have now initiated an investigation into abduction and armed robbery
Local media named the victim as Josh Sullivan, 45, of Tennessee, but police would not confirm the identification.
According to the Fellowship Baptist church blog Sullivan who described himself as a “church-planting missionary,” his wife Meagan and two children arrived in South Africa in November 2018 to run the Motherwell branch.
An image showing Sullivan preaching behind a pulpit was uploaded on X by a user going by the name of Tom Hatley Sullivan identifies a man with the same name as his childhood and training pastor on his own blog. Hatley claimed that he was posting on Sullivan’s wife’s behalf and prayed for a safe return.
U.S. measles cases surpass 700 in 6 states
U.S measles cases topped 700 as of Friday, capping a week in which Indiana joined five others states with active outbreaks, Texas grew by another 60 cases and a third measles-related death was made public.
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr claimed in a televised Cabinet meeting Thursday that measles cases were plateauing nationally, but the virus continues to spread mostly in people who are unvaccinated and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention redeployed a team to West Texas.
The U.S. has more than double the number of measles cases it saw in all of 2024, and Texas is reporting the majority of them with 541. Texas’ cases include two unvaccinated elementary schoolaged children who died from measles-related illnesses near the epicenter of the outbreak in rural West Texas, which led Kennedy to visit the community Sunday The third person who died was an adult in New Mexico who was not vaccinated.
Nigeria bans song criticizing its president ABUJA, Nigeria Authorities in Nigeria have barred radio stations from playing a song critical of President Bola Tinubu and his administration’s policies, according to a memo seen Friday by The Associated Press
The country’s media regulator described the content of “Tell Your Papa” in the memo to radio stations as “inappropriate for broadcast.”
The song is a response by musician and outspoken government critic Eedris Abdulkareem to recent remarks by Seyi Tinubu, the president’s son, who called his father the greatest leader in the country’s history
In the afrobeats track, Abdulkareem asks the younger Tinubu to tell his father that his policies have brought widespread hardship to Africa’s most populous country, while highlighting what he calls a string of unfulfilled “empty promises.”
In an article published Wednesday and in subsequent stories about the Federal Emergency Management Agency eliminating its Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities program, the amount of money at stake in Louisiana was misstated. The articles incorrectly said there were 148 applications worth $721 million using BRIC that will be ended in Louisiana. There are 34 projects directly funded by BRIC worth a total of $185 million, according to FEMA’s financial obligations database.
The Advocate regrets the error
China hits back in trade war
Beijing to up tariffs on U.S goods to 125%
By The Associated Press
BEIJING China announced Friday that it will raise tariffs on U.S. goods from 84% to 125% — the latest salvo in an escalating trade war between the world’s two largest economies that has rattled markets and raised fears of a global slowdown.
While U.S. President Donald Trump paused import taxes this week for other countries, he raised tariffs on China and they now total 145%. China has denounced the policy as “economic bullying” and promised countermeasures The new tar-
iffs begin Saturday Washington’s repeated raising of tariffs “will become a joke in the history of the world economy,” a
Chinese Finance Ministry spokesperson said in a statement announcing the new tariffs. “However, if the U.S. insists on continuing to substantially infringe on China’s interests, China will resolutely counter and fight to the end.”
China’s Commerce Ministry said it would file another lawsuit with the World Trade Organization against the U.S. tariffs.
“There are no winners in a tariff war,” Chinese leader Xi Jinping said during a meeting with the Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, according to a readout from state broadcaster
CCTV “For more than 70 years, China has always relied on itself and hard work for development, never relying on favors from anyone, and not fearing any unreasonable suppression.”
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Friday said China stands firm against Trump’s tariffs not only to defend its own rights and interests but also to “safeguard the common interests of the international community to ensure that humanity is not dragged back into a jungle world where might makes right.”
Wang made the remarks when he met Rafael Mariano Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency in Beijing. Wang said China will “work together with other coun-
Divers search for parts of crashed N.Y. helicopter
6 killed when sightseeing flight crashed into Hudson River
BY MICHAEL R. SISAK, DAVE COLLINS and TED SHAFFREY Associated Press
NEW YORK Police and fire department divers were searching Friday for the main and rear rotors of a sightseeing helicopter that broke apart in midair and crashed into the Hudson River between New York City and New Jersey, killing all six people aboard including a family of five from Spain.
Those parts, along with the helicopter’s transmission, the roof and tail structures have not been found since the crash Thursday afternoon, Jennifer Homendy chair of the National Transportation Safety Board, told reporters at a briefing in Jersey City, New Jersey.
Officials also identified the pilot as 36-year-old Seankese Johnson.
Hemendy said the NTSB would not speculate on the cause of the crash so early in the investigation.
“We are very factual and we will provide that in due course,” she said.
Visibility was low in the murky river and divers were using sonar to hunt for the missing pieces. The pilot and passenger cabin of the aircraft was pulled from the river Thursday night.
The victims from Spain included Siemens executive Agustin Escobar, 49, his wife, Mercè Camprubí Montal, 39, who had been a global manager at an energy technology company, and their three children, Victor, 4, Mercedes, 8, and Agustin, 10. Mercedes would have turned 9 on Friday, officials said.
Escobar was in the New York area on business and his family flew over to meet him for a few days, said Steven Fulop, mayor of Jersey City, New Jersey,
in a post on X. He said officials were working with the medical examiner to release the bodies for their return to Spain.
Johnson regularly celebrated his career milestones as a helicopter pilot on social media. In March, he changed his Facebook profile to a screengrab of him piloting a helicopter with a view of Freedom Tower and the Manhattan skyline in the background.
In the summer of 2023, he announced that he was flying a Blackhawk helicopter to fight fires for a Montana-based firm “Long hours and painstaking work to get to this moment. Thank you for all the love and support from those who’ve helped me get here,” Johnson wrote. Community activists and officials have repeatedly proposed banning or restricting traffic at Manhattan heliports, citing New York City’s history of fatal helicopter accidents that have killed 38 people since 1977 as well as the relentless noise.
Federal judge allows immigration enforcement in houses of worship
BY LINDSAY WHITEHURST and MICHAEL KUNZELMAN Associated Press
WASHINGTON A federal judge on Friday sided with the Trump administration in allowing immigration agents to conduct enforcement operations at houses of worship for now, despite a lawsuit filed by religious groups over the new policy
U.S. District Judge Dabney Friedrich in Washington refused to grant a preliminary injunction to the plaintiffs, more than two dozen Christian and Jewish groups representing millions of Americans. She found that the plaintiffs lack standing, or the
legal right to sue, since only a handful of immigration enforcement actions have been conducted in or around churches or other houses of worship and that the evidence at this point doesn’t show “that places of worship are being singled out as special targets.”
The plaintiffs are reviewing the decision and assessing their options, said their lead counsel, Kelsi Corkran.
“We remain gravely concerned about the impacts of this policy and are committed to protecting foundational rights enshrined in the First Amendment and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act,”
tries to jointly resist all retrogressive actions in the world.”
Trump’s on-again, offagain measures have caused alarm in stock and bond markets and led some to warn that the U.S. could be headed for a recession.
There was some relief when Trump paused the tariffs for most countries — but concerns remain since the U.S. and China are the world’s No. 1 and No. 2 economies, respectively
“The risk that this escalating trade war tips the world into a recession is rising as the two largest and most powerful countries in the world continue to punch back with higher and higher tariffs,” Jennifer Lee, a senior economist at BMO Capital markets, wrote Fri-
day. “No one truly knows when this will end.” Chinese tariffs will affect goods like soybeans, aircrafts and their parts and drugs all among the country’s major imports from the U.S. Beijing, meanwhile, suspended sorghum, poultry and bonemeal imports from some American companies last week, and put more export controls on rare earth minerals, critical for various technologies.
The United States’ top imports from China, meanwhile, include electronics, like computers and cellphones, industrial equipment and toys — and consumers and businesses are likely to see prices rise on those products, with tariffs now at 145%.
Small plane crashes near Florida highway
BY STEPHANY MATAT and CURT ANDERSON Associated Press
BOCA RATON, Fla. — Three people were killed and one was injured when a small plane crashed Friday morning in South Florida near a major interstate highway and pushed a car onto railroad tracks, officials said.
Boca Raton Fire Rescue assistant chief Michael LaSalle said the plane crash that killed all three people on board emitted a fireball when it hit the ground, injuring a person in a nearby car LaSalle said several roads near the Boca Raton Airport will remain closed near Interstate 95.
The Federal Aviation Administration identified the plane as a Cessna 310 with three people on board. It went down about 10:20 a.m. after departing from Boca Raton Airport bound for Tallahassee, the FAA said in an email.
Fire officials told the South Florida Sun Sentinel that the aircraft appeared to have pushed a car onto
the railroad tracks, leading to the tracks’ closure. Josh Orsino, 31, said he was stopped at a red light at a nearby overpass when he heard a loud explosion and saw a huge fireball come toward him.
“We’re just sitting there, and I see the palm trees start catching on fire,” Orsino said. “I thought it was an oil rig or a car crash type thing.” Orsino said everyone was honking and trying to get off the overpass, not sure if it was going to collapse.
“So I didn’t know if the fire was going to come towards the vehicles, I mean, my first instinct was like, I got to get off this bridge. I’m getting out of here,” Orsino said.
Miguel Coka, 51, who works near the Boca Raton airport, said he is used to seeing planes flying low as they prepare to land. But this time, he and his colleagues noticed something was off.
“There was a rumble and everyone in the building felt it,” he said when the plane crashed. “We are all shocked.”
Boca Raton Mayor Scott Singer said the investigation was just beginning.
said Corkran, the Supreme Court Director at the Institute for Constitutional Advocacy & Protection.
The religious groups argued the policy violated the right to practice their religion. Since President Donald Trump took office in January, attendance has declined significantly, with some areas showing double-digit percentage drops, they said.
The judge, though, found that the groups had not shown their drops were definitively linked to the church policy specifically, as opposed to broader increased actions by Immigration and Customs Enforcement or other agencies.
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By yUKI IWAMURA
A New york Police Department scuba team prepares to dive Friday where a sightseeing helicopter crashed a day earlier into the Hudson River in Jersey City N.J
Feds offer no details on wrongly deported Md. man
Judge lambasts lawyer who couldn’t answer questions
BY MICHAEL KUNZELMAN, REBECCA SANTANA and BEN FINLEY Associated Press
GREENBELT, Md. — A federal judge on Friday lambasted a government lawyer who couldn’t explain what, if anything, the Trump administration has done to arrange for the return of a Maryland man who was mistakenly deported last month to a notorious prison in El Salvador
The U.S. government attorney also struggled to provide any information about the whereabouts of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, despite Thursday’s ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court that the Trump administration must bring him back.
“Where is he and under whose authority?” U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis asked in a Maryland courtroom.
“I’m not asking for state secrets,” she said. “All I know is that he’s not here. The government was prohibited from sending him to El Salvador, and now I’m asking a very simple question: Where is he?”
Drew Ensign, a deputy assistant attorney general, said the government doesn’t have
evidence to contradict the belief that Abrego Garcia is still in El Salvador. Xinis sounded exasperated that Ensign couldn’t tell her where Abrego Garcia is, what the government has done to arrange for his return or what more it plans to do to get him back to the U.S. “That is extremely troubling,” she said.
The judge repeatedly asked Ensign about what has been done, asking pointedly: “Have they done anything?” — to which Ensign said he didn’t have personal knowledge of what had been done.
“So that means they’ve done nothing,” the judge said, adding later: “Despite this court’s clear directive, your clients have done nothing to facilitate the return of Mr Abrego Garcia.”
For his part, Ensign stressed that the government was “actively considering what could be done” and said that Abrego Garcia’s case involved three Cabinet agencies and significant coordination.
Before the hearing ended, Xinis ordered the U.S. to provide daily status updates on plans to return Abrego Garcia
“I guess my message, for what it’s worth, is: If you can do it, do it tomorrow,” she said.
In a brief filed before the hearing, Trump administration attorneys told Xinis that her deadline for information
Israel to fire reservists who condemned war
BY SAM MEDNICK
Associated Press
TELAVIV Israel Israel’s mili-
tary said Friday it will fire air force reservists who signed an open letter that condemns the war in Gaza for only serving political interests instead of bringing the hostages home.
In a statement to The Associated Press, an army official said there was no room for any individual including reservists on active duty, “to exploit their military status while simultaneously participating in the fighting,” calling the letter a breach of trust between commanders and subordinates
The army said it had decided that any active reservist who signed the letter will not be able to continue serving. It did not specify how many people that included or if the firings had begun. Nearly 1,000 Israeli Air Force reservists and retirees signed the letter published in Israeli media Thursday, demanding the immediate return of the hostages, even at the cost of ending the fighting
The letter comes as Israel ramps up its offensive in Gaza, trying to pressure Hamas to agree to free hostages, 59 of whom are still being held, more than half of which are dead Israel’s imposed a blockade on food,
fuel and humanitarian aid that has left civilians facing acute shortages as supplies dwindle. It has pledged to seize large parts of the Palestinian territory and establish a new security corridor through it.
While the soldiers who signed the letter didn’t refuse to keep serving, it’s part of a growing number of Israeli soldiers speaking out against the 18-month conflict, some saying they saw or did things that crossed ethical lines
“It’s completely illogical and irresponsible on behalf of the Israeli policy makers risking the lives of the hostages, risking the lives of more soldiers and risking lives of many, many more innocent Palestinians, while it had a very clear alternative,” said Guy Poran, a retired Israeli Air Force pilot who spearhead the letter.
He said he’s not aware of anyone who signed the letter being fired, and since it was published, it has gained dozens more signatures.
Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu downplayed the letter on Friday, saying it was written by a “small handful of weeds, operated by foreign-funded NGOs whose sole goal is to overthrow the right-wing government.” He said anyone who encourages refusal will be immediately dismissed.
coaster.”
“I am anxiously waiting for Kilmar to be here in my arms, and in our home putting our children to bed, knowing this nightmare is almost at its end. I will continue fighting until my husband is home,” she said.
Abrego Garcia fled El Salvador because of persecution by local gangs, according to his immigration court records. He lived in Maryland for roughly 14 years, during which he worked in construction, married a U.S. citizen and was raising three children with disabilities.
cia to an El Salvador prison anyway, later describing the mistake as “an administrative error” but insisting that he was in MS-13. The administration also argued that the U.S. lacked the power to retrieve the Salvadoran national because he’s no longer in the U.S. But Xinis, the federal judge in Maryland, ordered the U.S. to return him, writing that his deportation appeared to be “wholly lawless.”
was “impractical” and that they lacked enough time to review Thursday’s Supreme Court’s ruling.
The U.S. attorneys also wrote that it was “unreasonable” for the U.S. government “to reveal potential steps before those steps are reviewed agreed upon, and vetted.”
“Foreign affairs cannot operate on judicial timelines, in part because it involves sensitive country-specific considerations wholly inappropriate for judicial review,” the attorneys wrote.
After the hearing, Abrego Garcia’s lawyer told reporters that “he should be here in the United States.”
Flanked by Abrego Garcia’s wife and backed by supporters, attorney Simon
Sandoval-Moshenberg said he’s hoping for a “meaningful” government update on Saturday “If they don’t take today’s order seriously, we’ll respond,” he said.
Meanwhile, El Salvador President Nayib Bukele is expected to visit Washington on Monday White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt was asked Friday if President Donald Trump wanted Bukele to bring Abrego Garcia.
But Leavitt said Bukele is visiting to speak about the cooperation between the two countries “that is at an alltime high.”
Abrego Garcia’s wife, Jennifer Vasquez Sura, said Thursday that the ordeal has been an “emotional roller
Maine refuses to enforce Trump’s trans sports ban
BY PATRICK WHITTLE Associated Press
PORTLAND, Maine Maine officials said Friday the state will not comply with a ban on transgender athletes in high school sports in the wake of a Trump administration finding that the state violated antidiscrimination laws by allowing the students to participate.
The U.S. Education Department said in March that an investigation concluded the Maine Department of Education violated the federal Title IX law by allowing transgender girls to participate on girls’ teams. The investigation followed a public disagreement between Democratic Maine Gov Janet Mills and President Donald Trump at a February meeting of governors.
The U.S. Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights issued a final warning on March 31 telling the state it needed to comply with the law in 10 business days or face enforcement from the U.S. Justice Department. That deadline arrived Friday, and the Education Department said it referred its investigation to the Justice Department for further enforcement Maine and the federal government are at impasse, as the state will not sign a resolution proposed by the Trump administration to
resolve the disagreement by banning the transgender athletes, said Maine assistant attorney general Sarah Forster in a letter to the Education Department Trump has said the state risks losing federal funding if it does not come into compliance.
In 2019, he was accused by local police of being in the MS-13 gang, court records state. He denied the allegation and was never charged with a crime.
A U.S. immigration judge subsequently shielded him from deportation to El Salvador because of likely gang persecution in his native country, records say He had a federal permit to work in the U.S. and was a sheet metal apprentice, his attorney said.
The Trump administration deported Abrego Gar-
“There is little to no evidence to support a ‘vague, uncorroborated’ allegation that Abrego Garcia was once in the MS-13 street gang,” Xinis wrote April 4. In its ruling on Thursday, the Supreme Court rejected the administration’s emergency appeal of Xinis’ order “The order properly requires the Government to ‘facilitate’ Abrego Garcia’s release from custody in El Salvador and to ensure that his case is handled as it would have been had he not been improperly sent to El Salvador,” the court said in an unsigned order with no noted dissents.
Notice is hereby givenpursuanttoArticle 7, Section23(C) of theLouisiana Constitution andR.S.47:1705(B)thata public hearingof theLaw EnforcementDistrictofLivingston Parish will be held at itsregular meeting place, theoffice of Livingston Parish Sheriff JasonArd,20300 Government Blvd,Livingston, Louisiana70754 on Tuesday, May 27,2025at10:00 a.m. to consider levying additional or increasedmillage rateswithoutfurther voterapprovaloradoptingthe adjusted millagerates afterreassessment androlling forwardtorates nottoexceed theprior year’s maximum. Theestimated amount of taxrevenuestobecollected from theLaw Enforcement(Maintenance) taxin thenextyearfromthe increasedmillage is $10,310,556.05,and theamountofincrease in taxesattributabletothe increasedmillage is $222,730.29.
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JOSE LUIS MAGANA
Jennifer Vasquez Sura, the wife of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, of Maryland, who was mistakenly deported to El Salvador, speaks April 4 during a news conference at CASA’s Multicultural Center in Hyattsville, Md
Doctorsremovepig kidney from womanafter
BY LAURAN NEERGAARD
Associated Press
WASHINGTON
An Alabama woman who lived with apig kidneyfor a record 130 days had theorgan removed after her body began rejectingitand is back on dialysis, doctorsannounced Friday —adisappointmentinthe ongoingquest for animal-to-human transplants
Towana Looney is recovering well from the April 4removal surgery at NYU Langone Health and has returned home to Gadsden, Alabama. In astatement, she thanked her doctors for “the opportunity to be partofthis incred-
GREENSTEIN
Continued from page1A
Medicaid to post-acute care.” Greenstein’sappointment follows the retirement of Michael Harrington after eightmonthson the job andcomes as Landry,working with Louisiana Surgeon General Ralph Abraham, is seekingtoreshapemajor state health programs, including Medicaid, and prioritize individual medicalautonomy.The agency is also shifting itsfocustoward chronic disease prevention, maternal health, mental health and lifestyle-based interventions. As health secretary,Greenstein will manage the Health Depart-
TEACHER
Continued from page1A
Orleans, during aHouse budget hearing this week. “From my perspective, we have a moral obligation to ensure that, at aminimum,” educator pay remains constant.
But to payfor stipends again next school year,the Legislature must find nearly $200 million at amoment when federal funding that Louisiana relies on could be slashedand when Landry has proposed a“standstill” budget and astate hiring freeze to rein in spending. With tax increases unlikely,lawmakers might have to scrap other expenditures to keepeducator pay from falling “Based on the numbers Igot, I’m going to have to make significant reductions in other areas of the budget to do that,” said Rep. Jack McFarland, R-Jonesboro, who chairs theHouse Appropriations Committee. “I think it can be done, but it’sgoing to be very challenging.”
Some lawmakers want to prune $50 million from Landry’smarquee education program,LAGATOR, which will give familiestax dollars to pay for private education. Landry undoubtedly would oppose that cut.
“That program means alot to him,” said StateSuperintendent of Education Cade Brumley.“Clearly we would hate to see areduction to the governor’skey priority for education.”
Landry’sspokespersondid not respond to arequest for
ible research.”
“Though the outcomeisnot what anyone wanted,I know alot was learned from my 130 days with a pig kidney —and that thiscan help and inspire many others in their journey to overcoming kidney disease,” Looney added.
Scientists are genetically altering pigs so their organs aremorehumanlike to address asevereshortage of transplantablehuman organs. More than 100,000 people are on the U.S. transplant list,most whoneed akidney, and thousands die waiting. Before Looney’stransplant only four other Americans had received experimentalxenotransplants
ment’s operations and$21 billion budget. The secretary works in tandem with thesurgeon general, apositioncreated by the Louisiana Legislaturein 2024, whoistasked withsettinghealthpolicyand advising on strategicinitiatives. The secretary carries out thesurgeon general’srecommendations, accordingtothe department.
“Bruce Greenstein’sappointment asSecretary of theLouisianaDepartment of Health marks anew era for Louisiana’s healthcare,” said Landry in aprepared statement. “There is no onemore qualified than Bruce.” Greenstein has served in leadershiproles at state and federalhealth agencies. Before his first stint at the state Health Department, he held senior roles at the federal Centers for Medicareand Medicaid Services and at Microsoft.
He was appointed by former Gov.Bobby Jindal in 2010 to lead
comment.
Anotheroptionis to reintroduce aconstitutional amendment that Landry championed but voters rejectedlast month, which would have unlockedenough funding for most school districts to boost teacher pay
However,manyobservers doubt thatthe amendment process couldbe completed before the new fiscal year begins July 1
With the legislative session startingMonday and abudget due just overtwo months later,Landryand lawmakers will have to getcreativeto protect teachers’pay
“Everything is on the table,” McFarlandsaid
Compared to their peers, Louisiana teachers are underpaid.
With average salaries of about$54,200 in 2023, they earned roughly$5,000less than the regional average and $15,000 less than the national average, accordingtodata compiled bythe Southern RegionalEducation Board, a nonprofitresearch group.
Insteadofraising teacher salaries, Louisiana has for several years giventhem annualstipends.Last fall, Landryand lawmakersdevised away to fund lasting raises by revising theconstitution.
Amendment 2wouldhave used education trust funds to paydown teacher retirementdebt, creating savings that schooldistricts couldspend on teacher pay
But thepay plan was one of dozens of constitutional changes embedded in the amendment, which voters
of gene-edited pig organs —two heartsand two kidneys that lasted no longerthantwo months. Those recipients, who were severely ill before thesurgery,died. Now researchers are attempting thesetransplantsinslightly less sick patients, like Looney.ANew Hampshire manwho receiveda pig kidneyinJanuary is faring well and arigorous study of pig kidney transplantsisset to begin this summer.Chinese researchers also recently announced asuccessful kidney xenotransplant.
Looney hadbeen on dialysis since2016 and didn’tqualify for a regular transplant —her body was
the state HealthDepartment but resignedinApril 2013 amid state and federal probes into how a2011 stateMedicaid contract for nearly $200 millionwas awarded to his former employer,Client Network ServicesInc., wherehewas vice president from 2005 to2006.
Greenstein initially downplayed hiscontact with CNSI but later admitted to exchanging messages with company executives. He said that theconversations were personal. In testimony,Greenstein acknowledged he might have handled some aspects of the contract differently but maintained he had done nothing wrong and did not receive any payment or benefit in connection with thecontract awarded to CNSI.
Although the federal investigation didn’tresult in charges,a state grand jury was later convened and in 2014, he was indicted on nine countsofperjury for allegedly
rejected along with three other amendments by wide margins last month
“The voters spokeloud and clear,and nowwehave to moveforward,” Hughes said in an interview Friday “But ourteachers should not be collateral damage.”
He said he would prefer to give teacherspermanent raises, but would support another year of stipends. He argued thatthe state could pull money from its reservestofreeupfunding for teachers “Contrary to popular opinion,we’re actually in avery good fiscalposition,”hesaid.
But Landry,who campaignedfor Amendment 2and blamed its defeat on “far left liberals,” has insistedthata constitutional change is theonly way to fund lasting raises.
“Regrettably,” he said in alettertoteachers this week, no other “recurring resources exist to fund the permanent salary increase you deserve.”
Bills by Rep.Julie Emerson, R-Carencro, and Rep. JoshCarlson, R-Lafayette, would revive the parts of Amendment 2that funded teacher raises. However, another statewide vote on constitutional changes is unlikely before this fall or next spring, well after the budget mustbecomplete, lawmakers and observers said.
“I don’tknow if we can get all thatdone, get it on the ballot,get it passed and get it all through in time,” McFarlandsaid.
If they can’t find enough money to boost payindefi-
abnormally primed to reject ahuman kidney.Soshe sought out apig kidneyand it functioned well shecalled herself “superwoman” and lived longer than anyone with agene-edited pig organbefore, from herNov.25transplant until earlyAprilwhen her body began rejectingit. NYU xenotransplant pioneer Dr.Robert Montgomery,Looney’s surgeon, said what triggered that rejection is beinginvestigated. But he saidLooney and her doctors agreed it would be less risky to remove the pig kidneythantotry saving it with higher,riskier doses of anti-rejection drugs.
lyingduring a2011 state Senate confirmationhearing anda 2014 grandjuryproceeding related to thecontract. Thecharges were dropped in 2016 by Landry while he wasattorney general.Atthe time, Landry’s office citedinsufficient evidence.
Acivil lawsuit filedbyCNSI against the state over the contract terminationwas settled the same year.The company is now known as Acentra Health after a2023 merger.
After leaving state government, Greenstein later served as chief technology officer at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services during PresidentTrump’s first term.
Morerecently,heworked as an executive at Lafayette-based LHC Group, amajor home health company,and advisedGov.JeffLandry on health care policy,according to areport from The Louisiana Illu-
nitely,lawmakerscould fund another round of stipends —though several saidthey’d prefer to avoid that route.
“The goal of the amendment was to make it apermanent raise so we don’t have to do this everyyear,” said SenatePresident Cameron Henry,R-Metairie.
“You don’twant to have teachers coming back every single year saying, ‘Can I please have my stipend?’”
“Wedid the safe thing,” Montgomery told The Associated Press. “She’snoworse off than she was before (the xenotransplant) and she would tell you she’sbetter off because she hadthis 41/2 month break from dialysis.”
Shortly before therejection began, Looney had suffered an infection related to her prior time on dialysis andher immunesuppressing anti-rejection drugs were slightly lowered, Montgomerysaid. At the same time,her immune systemwas reactivating after the transplant. Those factors mayhave combined to damage the new kidney,hesaid.
minator
The Louisiana Department of Healthand the Governor’sOffice did not immediately respond to requests for additional comment on the hiring.
Greenstein said in aprepared statementthatheiscommitted to “driving meaningful change” as secretary,and referenced both thechallengesand opportunities ahead forLouisiana.
“As Istep into this role again, I’m more committedthan ever to building on the progress we’ve made and driving meaningful change,” Greenstein said.
Greenstein also receivedpraise from state political leaders. Landry’s announcementsaidAbraham, U.S. Rep. Clay Higgins and Senate President CameronHenry all supported the appointment. Email Emily Woodruff at ewoodruff@theadvocate.com.
Even if they cut other budget items —including part of Landry’spet program, LA GATOR —McFarland said it isn’tclear theycould find the $198 million needed to maintain the current stipends.
“Maybe we get athird, maybe we can come up with ahalf,”hesaid. “Maybe all of it.”
As Landryand lawmakers enter budget talks divided over howtokeep teacher pay steady,much less provide
raises, they appear to agree on one thing: Teachers have earned a financial reward.
“I know it’sgoing to be an uphill battle,” said Rep. Barbara Freiberg, R-Baton Rouge, who is on the House appropriation and educationcommittees. “But I’m hoping peoplewilllookat the jobthat’sbeendone and say, ‘This is worthy of finding money to fund.’” Staff writer Elyse Carmosino provided reporting.
Greenstein
removal, as well as antisemitic attacks in the U.S. Khalil’s attorneys and other supporters say he is being illegally detained for speech that is protected by the First Amendment.
A Palestinian by ethnicity who was born in Syria, Khalil was active in campus protests against Israel and the war in Gaza. He recently finished master’s coursework at Columbia’s school of international affairs and is married to an American citizen who is due to give birth soon, his lawyers say Khalil was arrested outside his university-owned apartment and booked in New York on March 8
The next day, he was shuttled on an American Airlines flight to Dallas and another flight to Alexandria, landing him in Louisiana on the morning of March 10, his lawyers say. He was sent to the ICE processing facility in Jena, where the immigration court also resides, and where a scrum of media and activists gathered Friday in front of the gates.
CUTS
Continued from page 1A
Lafayette. The New Orleans Museum of Art recently received notice that its two current grants from the NEH had been terminated “Any elimination of funding from these agencies impacts our ability to serve our public in essential ways,” said NOMA spokesperson Charlie Tatum. “Programming at all museums will be in jeopardy without the critical support for operations and initiatives provided by these cultural agencies.”
Some other libraries and museums are bracing for cuts through another federal agency the Institute for Museum and Library Services, which is the main source of federal funding for the country’s libraries and museums.
After naming the agency in mid-March as one of seven that should be “eliminated to the maximum extent consistent with applicable law,” the Trump administration placed its staff on leave.
In fiscal year 2024, the IMLS awarded $3.5 million in grants to libraries and museums in the state, including $2.7 million to the State Library of Louisiana, which has a $9.7 million budget.
In a statement last week, Meg Placke, state librarian, said the system’s funds are secure through 2026.
“The last communication IMLS sent us informed us that our funding would be the same for 2026 and official award letters would be sent in April,” Placke said. “While we are aware that some states have had IMLS grants canceled, we have not received any communication from the agency about any changes to our grant funding for this fiscal year or next.”
That last communication came March 18, said Barry Landry, a spokesperson for Lt. Gov Billy Nungesser, who oversees the state library. IMLS staff were put on leave March 31.
“He sleeps in a bunker without a pillow or blanket,” Khalil’s attorneys said in an April 3 legal filing.
An ICE official did not respond Friday to questions about Khalil’s living situation at the facility
In an undated letter obtained by The Associated Press, Secretary of State Marco Rubio defended the push to remove Khalil. Rubio cited
Cuts to arts and culture institutions would be felt in myriad ways, according to museum and library officials.
On Tuesday, a mannequin stood in the center of the NOMA galleries, wearing a masquerade of gold and feathers, bells and mirrors, its knees bent as if about to dance. A group of first-graders ran over to him One girl pointed Another leaned in. A third child took his invitation, bobbing back and forth. The children, students at the Willow School, were experiencing “New African Masquerades,” a rare look into the artists animating West African masquerade. It’s a major exhibition that grew from long relationships with artists, new ideas about curation and, over the course of its creation, two NEH grants. In fact, it “would have never been possible without funding from federal agencies,” Tatum said. The most recent of those grants, for $500,000, was among those terminated by NEH last week. While most of that grant has been paid, only half of another grant of $500,000 for a state-of-theart conservation laboratory, has made its way to the museum, according to the NEH website.
Mary Cosper-LeBoeuf, longtime executive director of Terrebonne Parish Library, said libraries are more reliant on federal and state programs than most people realize. Though they are funded through local taxes, many parish library systems use the State Library of Louisiana for access to databases, interlibrary loans braille books, online tutoring and other services.
Should that funding end, “it’s going to affect every single city library and parish library in this state,” said Cosper-LeBoeuf. In New Iberia, the Bayou Teche Museum had hoped to sort through, digitize and transcribe boxes of audio files of local residents talking about the history of the
a relatively obscure section of the Immigrational and Nationality Act that empowers him to find that an “alien’s past, current, or expected beliefs, statements or associations that are otherwise lawful” would spell danger to U.S. foreign policy if the person stays. The name of another person Rubio found deportable for the same
area, making the information available to visitors. So it applied for and received a $25,000 grant from IMLS.
So far, it’s gotten $7,000, and Ana Bellomy, the museum’s director, said she’s not sure if it will receive the rest.
Lauren Davis, curator at West Baton Rouge Parish Museum and past president of the Louisiana Association of Museums, says the cuts will affect communities across the state, but they also feel personal.
“People worked their behinds off to get these grants. I can’t fathom how devastating it is for all of these colleagues who have put their hearts and souls into it,” Davis said. “This is not the kind of career you go into to make money They go into it because they are passionate about what they do.”
Davis said a particular concern is the loss of shared information — especially in light of grants that were focused on digitally archiving information and history ahead of the nation’s sesquicentennial celebration.
President Lyndon Johnson and Congress created the National Endowment for the Arts and Humanities in 1965 as a way for federal dollars to support local research and education and to promote the country’s history and traditions.
State level agencies, including the LEH, were created in 1972 to give individual states and territories greater autonomy Between fiscal year 2019 and 2023, the NEH issued $12.9 million to support 66 projects in Louisiana, according to the NEH website.
The IMLS was created in 1996 under President Bill Clinton as an independent federal agency to foster “leadership, innovation and lifetime learning by supporting the nation’s museums and libraries.” First lady Laura Bush, a librarian herself, was a cheerleader for the agency that provided more than a quarter of Louisiana’s State Library’s budget.
reasons was redacted in the memo released by The Associated Press. Their presence in the U.S. would “undermine U.S. policy to combat anti-Semitism around the world and in the United States, in addition to efforts to protect Jewish students from harassment and violence in the United States,” Rubio wrote.
Khalil’s attorney Marc Van Der Hout, vowed to continue fighting.
“Today, we saw our worst fears play out: Mahmoud was subject to a charade of due process, a flagrant violation of his right to a fair hearing, and a weaponization of immigration law to suppress dissent,” he said.
Several of Khalil’s supporters stood along the road outside the detention facility afterward, decrying the decision.
Comans, a former ICE attorney who has served as an immigration judge since 2021, on Tuesday gave federal officials 24 hours to submit evidence for removing Khalil from the country
Khalil’s arrest was the first of several attempted deportations of foreign-born students who joined pro-Palestinian protests or expressed criticism of Israel, or who authorities claim pose a national
The Trump administration’s shuttering of the IMLS in March is part of a broader effort to cut “bureaucracy and bloat to deliver better services for the American people,” his spokesperson told USA Today
The agency’s funding to states including California, Connecticut and Washington have halted early while other states are ending programs in anticipation of cuts. Last week, 21 Democratic state attorneys general filed suit arguing that by placing the IMLS staff on leave and curtailing grants, the Trump administration is overstepping its powers.
Directors of a dozen Louisiana libraries, worried about potential cuts, have informally discussed whether they could, on their own, form a consortium, to help make up for any lost services. But recreating what already exists is inefficient said Cosper-LeBoeuf. “I completely understand that there’s mismanage-
security concern, to land in Louisiana, where ICE maintains several detention facilities in remote locales such as Jena, four hours by car from New Orleans.
Among them:
Rumeysa Ozturk, a Tufts University doctoral student from Turkey, was detained in a Boston suburb on March 25 and landed at the South Louisiana ICE Processing Center in Basile, where she remained Thursday, according to ICE records.
Badar Khan Suri, an Indian national and Georgetown scholar, was arrested in his Virginia home last month after his J-1 visa was revoked. He was flown to an ICE staging facility in Alexandria, then relocated to Texas. Suri awaits a hearing Friday
Alireza Doroudi, an Iranianborn University of Alabama doctoral student, was picked up outside his home last month. Authorities said his visa was revoked. His attorney says Doroudi awaits a bond hearing next week in Jena, where he remained in detention on Friday
WWL-Louisiana reporter Charisse Gibson and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
ment, and we have to live within our budget,” she said. “But I think the majority of librarians are very
given.
trained.”
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STAFF PHOTO By CHRIS GRANGER
Faith leaders and supporters of Columbia University graduate student Mahmoud Khalil walk from the ICE detention center in Jena following a judge’s decision on Friday.
European countriesvow billions in Ukraineaid
BY LORNE COOK Associated Press
BRUSSELS European countries vowed Friday to sends billions of dollars in further funding to help Ukraine keep fighting Russia’sinvasion, as aU.S.envoy pursued peace efforts in atrip to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin amid growing questions about theKremlin’s willingness to stopthe more than three-year war Russian forces hold the advantage in Ukraine, with the war now in its fourth year Ukraine hasendorsedaU.S. ceasefire proposal, butRussia has effectively blocked it by imposing far-reaching conditions. EuropeangovernmentshaveaccusedPutin of dragging his feet.
“Russia has to get moving” on the road to ending the war U.S. President Donald Trump posted on social media. He saidthe war is “terrible and
“This is another step in the negotiating process towards aceasefire and an ultimate peace deal,” she said.
Russianstate news agency RIA Novosti said Witkoff’s meeting withPutin lasted 4½ hours, and cited the Kremlin as saying thatthe two discussed “aspects” of ending thewar,without providing any details.
tion worththe moneythey promise.
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said last week that Ukraine’sbackers have provided around $21 billion so far in the first three monthsofthisyear.European Union foreign policychief KajaKallas said Fridaythat more than $26 billion have been committed.
Britain said that in ajoint effort with Norway just over $580 million would be spent to provide hundreds of thousands of military drones, radar systems and anti-tank mines, as well as repair and maintenance contracts to keep Ukrainianarmored vehicles on the battlefield.
senseless.” In Russia, the Kremlinsaid Trump’senvoy Steve Witkoff metwith Putin in St.Petersburg. Witkoff, who has been pressing theKremlin to accept atruce, initially met with Putin envoy Kirill Dmi-
triev,footage released by Russianmedia showed.
WhiteHousepresssecretary Karoline Leavitt said Witkoff during his visit to Russiawas discussing efforts to endthe war with Putinand otherofficials.
Trumpopens window fordeal with Iran,but issues warning
BY AAMER MADHANI and MATTHEW LEE Associated Press
WASHINGTON President Donald Trump is bettingthat abeleaguered Iran is so vulnerable followinga tumultuous 18 months in the Middle East that it might finally be ready to abandon its nuclear program.
The renewed push to solve one of themost delicate foreign policy issues facing the White House and theMideast will begin in earnestSaturday when Trump’sMiddle East envoy,Steve Witkoff, and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchigather in Oman.
Trump says he prefers a diplomatic solution, even as he warns that Iran will face “great danger” if talks don’tgowell. But Iran’snuclear advancessince Trump scrapped an Obama-era agreement during his first term make finding apathwaytoa deal difficult, and experts warn that the prospects of U.S. military action on Iranian nuclear facilities appear higher than they have beeninyears.
“His ultimate goal and the ultimate objective is to ensure that Iran can never obtain anuclear weapon,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Friday
“But he’smade it very clear to the Iranians, and hisnational securityteam will as well, that all options are on the table and Iran has achoice to make. Youcan agree to President Trump’s demand or there will be all hell to pay,” she added.
The moment is certainly fraught, but the White House is seeing hopeful signsthat the timing might be right. The push comes as Iran has faced aseries of enormous setbacks that has ostensibly left Tehran in aweaker negotiating position.
Themilitary capabilities of Iranian-backed proxy forces Hamas inGaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon havebeen dramatically degraded by Israeli forces. U.S. airstrikes, meanwhile, targeting IranbackedHouthimilitants in Yemen have hit oil refineries, airports and missile sites Israel alsocarried out strikes against IraninOctoberthatdamagedfacilities linked to Tehran’s nuclear andballistic missile programs. And in December, Iran saw Syrian leader BasharAssad —Tehran’s closest Mideastally —ousted after more than two decades in power
Theleaders of the Islamic Republic also face domestic pressure as yearsofinternationalsanctions have choked the economy.The U.S. Treasury Department announced anew round of sanctions earlier this week targeting five entities and anindividual that American officials say play key roles inIran’s nuclearprogram.
“All eyes are on Oman by Iranians followingthis very closely and potentially hoping that this would impact the state of the economy,” said Negar Mortazavi, aseniorfellow at theCenter for International Policy,a Washington-basedthink tank.
But it remains to be seen if theU.S. can entice Iran with abig enough carrotfor itto make concessions to meet Trump’sdemands thatany potential dealgofurther in ensuringTehran doesn’t develop nuclearweaponsthan the agreement forged during Democratic President BarackObama’s administration.
Under the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, Iran couldonly maintain a small stockpile of uranium enrichedto3.67%. Today, it has enough to build multiple nuclear weapons if it chooses and has some material
enriched up to 60%, ashort, technical step away from weapons-grade levels
At themeetingSaturday in Oman’scapital city of Muscat,Iranwill be represented by Araghchi and the United States by Witkoff. It’s unclear if thetwo will speak directly
Trump hassaidthe two sideswillhave“direct”negotiations. But Iranian officials have insisted that the plan is for “indirect talks,” meaning an intermediaryfrom Oman would shuttle messages between Witkoff’s andAraghchi’steams holed up in different rooms
Either way,the decision for the two sides to talk— announced by Trump in the OvalOffice this week alongside Israeli Prime Minister BenjaminNetanyahu came as abit of asurprise.
Trump has been calling for direct talks,while threatening “consequences” forIran if it doesn’tmove to get adeal done.
Iran, meanwhile, has given mixed signals about theutility of the talks, arguing that engagingwould be useless under the shadow of threats
After Trumprecently sent aletter to Iran’s supreme leader,85-year-old Ayatollah AliKhamenei, calling for direct negotiations, Tehran rejected theentreaty while leaving open the possibility of indirect negotiations.
President Masoud Pezeshkian again pledgedthis week that Iran’s“not after anuclear bomb” and even suggested Tehran could be open to the prospect of direct American investment in the IslamicRepublic if the countries can reach a deal.
That was adeparturefrom Iran’s stance after its 2015 nuclear deal, in which Tehran sought to buy American airplanes but in effect barred U.S. companies from coming into the country.
After chairing ameeting of Ukraine’sWestern backers in Brussels, British Defense Secretary John Healey said that newpledgesofmilitary aid totaled over 21 billion euros ($24 billion), “a record boost in militaryfunding for Ukraine,and we arealso surging that supporttothe frontline fight.”
Healey gave no breakdown of that figure,and Ukraine hasinthe past complained that some countries repeat old offers at such pledging conferences or fail to deliver real arms and ammuni-
Ahead of the “contact group” meeting at NATO headquarters, Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerovsaid akey issue was strengtheninghis country’s air defenses.
Standing alongside Healey at the end of it,Umerov described the meeting as “productive,effective and efficient,” and said that it produced “one of the largest” packages of assistance Ukraine has received. “We’re thankful to each nation that has provided this support,” he said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has renewed his appeals for more Patriot systems since 20 people were killed aweek ago, including nine children, when aRussian missile tore through apartment buildings and blasted aplayground in his hometown. Zelenskyy joinedFriday’s meeting by video link. The Russian delayinaccepting Washington’sproposal has frustrated Trump and fueled doubts about whether Putinreally wantstostop the fighting while his bigger army hasmomentumonthe battlefield.
ASSOCIATED PRESSPHOTO By GEERT VANDENWIJNGAERT
Britain’sDefense SecretaryJohn Healey, left; Ukraine’s Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, second from left; and Germany’sDefense Minister Boris Pistorius, right, arrive Fridayfor ameeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group at NATO headquarters in Brussels.
In fightoverinsurance,neighbors crowdsourcefiredata
BY CLAUDIA LAUER andSALLYHO Associated Press
All sense of survivors’guilt was fleeting for those residents whose homes remained standingafter wildfires ripped through the Los Angeles areathree monthsago
Many worried that smoke from the Eaton wildfire that destroyed more than 9,000structuresand killed 18 people may have carried toxins, including lead, asbestos and heavy metals, intotheirhomes. But theystruggledtoconvincetheir insurers to test their properties to ensure it was safe to return.
Nicole Maccalla, adata scientist, said embers burnedmorethan half of her roof, several windows and eaves were damaged, andher house in Altadena was left filled with ash, debris, soot and damaged appliances. Shesaid herinsurance adjustersaid USAA would pay for contamination testing, but after choosing acompany and coming backwith theresults, herclaim was rejected. The adjustersaidthe company only covered testing in homes with major damage
“Every singleitemisa battle,” said Maccalla.“It’sdenials and appeals and denials and appeals and you wait weeks and weeksand weeks for responses.” Maccalla and others bandedtogether as Eaton Fire Residents United, sharing indoor environmental testing dataand compiling theresults in an online map. Of81 homes tested so far for lead, all show elevated levels, according to the group.
“I’ve already had multiple people reach out and say: ‘Thankyou for publishing this map …becausemy insurance company has changed their mind and approved testing,’” said Maccalla, whohelpeddesign the data collection to verifyresults andmaintain privacy
Many homeowners paid privately for the testing after their insurance companies refused, revealing gaps in coverage. Thegroup hopesthe data will help residentswho can’t afford it to convince their insurers to cover testing and remediation.
“If Ican prove my community is not fitfor humanhabitationthen maybe Ican show my home won’t be,” said Jane Lawton Potelle,
founderofEaton Fire Residents
United It’snot easytounderstand how andwhen it is safetoreturnhome, Potelle said. The fine print of insurance policiescan be frustrating and confusing, and the government has notstepped in to help.
TheFederal Emergency Management Agencysaid it has no plans to conduct widespread environmental testing. TheLos AngelesCounty Department of Public Health is tracking environmentaltesting largely by academicresearchers and ahandful from government agencies, but most studies assess outdoor contamination.
Reports from other urban wildfires, in which building materials, appliances,carsand moreburn at incredibly high temperatures, show increased levelsofheavy metals including lead and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons(PAHs)such as benzene thatare tied to negative health risks. But insurance companies haven’tstandardized testing for those contaminants.
Home insurance broadly covers fire damage, but there is agrowing dispute overwhat damage must be
covered when flames don’ttorch the property. California Insurance Commissioner RicardoLara released a bulletin in March that put the onus on companies to properly investigate reported smoke damage, saying they cannot deny suchclaims without investigating thoroughly, including paying forprofessional testing as warranted. But many residentshave been left to fight for coverage anyway
JanetRuiz, spokesperson forthe InsuranceInformationInstitute that represents many major insurance companies,saidit’shardto compare neighbors because every claim is unique due to each home’s physical structure, actual damage and defined insurance coverage limits.
“It can varyand insurance companies aresensitive to what the claimis,” Ruiz said. “You have to work with your insurance companiesand be reasonable aboutwhat may have happened.”
Dave Jones,directorofthe Climate RiskInitiative at University of California,Berkeley, andformer state insurancecommissioner, said
testing should be covered even though some insurance companies disagree.
“It’sperfectlyreasonablefor people to have somekind of environmental test done so that their home is safe and their property is safe,” Jonessaid.“We’retalking aboutvery catastrophically high temperature fires whereall sorts of materials are meltedand some of thembecometoxic.”
The state’sinsurer of last resort, known as the California Fair Access to Insurance Requirements Plan, has been scrutinized foryears over how it handles smoke damage claims.A 2017 change to the FAIR Plan limited coverage to “permanent physical changes,” meaning smoke damage mustbevisible or detectablewithout lab testing for claims to be approved. State officials said that thresholdwas too highand illegal, and ordered achange Dylan Schaffer,anattorney leading aclass action lawsuit challenging FAIR Plan’sthreshold, said he wassurprised private carriers are disputing similar fire damage claims “The damage is not due to smoke,
the damage is contamination from fire,” Schaffersaid. “They make it complicated because it saves them money.”
Meanwhile, Altadena residents on the FAIR Plan saytheir claims arestill beingdenied.Jones believes thedebatewillonlyend when lawmakers take action.
FAIR Plan spokeswoman Hilary McLean declinedtocommenton the ongoing litigation and individual cases, but saidthe FAIR Plan pays allcovered claims basedon the adjusters’ recommendations.
“Our policy,like many others, requires direct physical loss forthere to be coverage,” McLean said.
Potelle said the first inkling that her house might be toxiccame aftermeeting with herAAA insurance adjusterinthe days after the fire. Even though she had worna mask, her chest still ached and her voice rasped,and she wondered whetherher home was safe forher 11-year-old.
StephanieWilcox saidher toddler’spediatrician recommended testing their home. HerFarmers Insurance policy includescoveragefor lead andasbestosinaddition to her wildfire coverage, but after multiple denials, she paid out of pocket.
“After the initial inspection, (Farmers) had told us remediation would cost about $12,000 and that it would be habitable, like we could move back in tomorrow,”she said. “But now there’snoway.”
She plans to ask foranew estimate including lead abatement and other costs, citing the results.
Similarly,ZachBaileyasked in late January forcontamination testing. The house he shareswith his wife andtoddlersitsinanisland of largely spared homes among blocks wipedout by the fire. After months of denials, State Farm agreed to payfor lead andasbestos testing because the remediation company cited federal worker safety regulations. It shouldn’thavebeen that hard, he said.
“It feels like the insurance companies should have aplaybookat this point,” he said. “They should have aprocess to keep people safe because this isn’tthe first disaster like this.”
Many Americansare fortunate to havedental coverage fortheir entire working life, through employer-provided benefits.Whenthose benefits end with retirement, paying dental bills out-of-pocket can come as a shock, leading people to putoff or even go without care. Simply put —without dentalinsurance, there may be an importantgap in your healthcare coverage.
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ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By DAMIAN DOVARGANES
Eaton fire survivorDr. Nicole Maccalla,a data scientist and alead investigator,checks the interior of her home on April 4after cleaning and repairs were performed to
Despite needing an extra layerortwo early on, sunshine will warm things up quickly.Wind will be less of afactor, so there will be less turbulencetoredistribute heat in the loweratmosphere The net result will be aslightly cooler afternoon, but still quite pleasantólook for a high in the mid-70s.Therewill be no weather worries on
BY KATHY McCORMACK Associated Press
ATufts University doctoral student from Turkey is demanding her release after she was detainedby immigration officials near herMassachusetts home, detailing how she was scared when the men grabbed her phone and feared she would be killed.
Rumeysa Ozturk, 30, who hassince been movedto an Immigration andCustoms Enforcement detention center in Basile, Louisiana, provided an updated account of what happened to heras she walked along astreeton March 25, in adocument filed by herlawyers in federal court Thursday Ozturk is among several people with ties to American universities whose visas were revoked or have been stopped from entering the U.S. after they were accused of attendingdemonstrations or publicly expressed support
BY WILL WEISSERT Associated Press
WASHINGTON President Donald Trump had an annual physical on Friday and concluded, “I did well,” praising his own heart, soul and cognitive ability while notingmedical reports from White House doctors may not be readyuntil the weekend. The 78-year-old, who in January became the oldest in U.S. history to be sworn in as president, spent nearly five hours at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center undergoing what he called “every test you can imagine.” “I was there for along time,” Trump said. “I think Idid very well.” Despite long questioning predecessor Joe Biden’sphysical and mental capacity,Trump has routinely kept basic facts about his own health shrouded in secrecy —shying away from
for Palestinians. On Friday, a Louisianaimmigration judge ruled that the U.S. can deport Columbia University graduatestudent Mahmoud Khalil basedonthe federal government’sargumentthat he poses anational security risk. “I felt veryscaredand concerned as themen surroundedmeand grabbed my phone from me,” Ozturk said in thestatement. Theytold her they were police, andone quickly showed what might have been agoldbadge. “But Ididn’t thinktheywere the police becauseI had never seen police approach and take someoneawaylike this,” she said.
Ozturk saidshe was afraid because her name, photograph and work history were published earlier this year on thewebsite Canary Mission, which describes itself as documenting peoplewho “promote hatred of the U.S.A., Israel and Jews on North American collegecampuses. She said themen didn’ttell
her why they werearresting her and shackledher.She saidatone point,after they had changed cars, she felt “sure they weregoing to kill me.” During astop in Massachusetts, oneofthe men said to her, “Weare notmonsters,” and “Wedowhat the government tells us.” She said they repeatedly refused her requests to speak to alawyer
Trumpundergoes annualphysical
traditional presidential transparency on medical issues. He said he believes the doctor’sreport on his latest physical would be ready on Sunday— though, if history is anyindication, thatmay offerlittle more than flattery with scarcedetail.
White Housepress secretary Karoline Leavittsaid while Trump wasstill being examined that a“readout from the White Housephysician” on hishealth that would be released “as soon as we possibly can” and suggestedit’dbe comprehensive.
Trump went straight from the examinationtoAir Force Oneto flytoFlorida for the weekend. Speaking to reporters midflight,he said doctors offered him “a little bit” ofadvice on lifestyle changes that could improve his health, though he didn’telaborate on what that was. ”Overall, Ifelt Iwas in very good shape. Agood
heart, agood soul, avery good soul,” Trumpsaid. He also noted that he took a cognitive test. “I don’tknow what to tell you other than I gotevery answer right,” he said. He said undergoing mental acuity screening was “what the American people want”and took another shot at hispredecessor, saying, “Bidenrefused to take it.”
The finished medical report would be the first publicinformation on Trump’s healthsince an assassination attempt against him in Butler,Pennsylvania, in July
Ratherthan release medical records at that time, Texas Rep. Ronny Jackson —a staunch supporter who servedashis White House physician and once joked in theWhite House briefing room that Trump could live to be 200 if he had ahealthier diet —wrote amemo describing agunshot wound to Trump’sright ear
Apetition to releaseher was first filed in federalcourt in Bostonand then movedto Burlington, Vermont, where ahearing on hercasetoresolve jurisdictional issues is scheduledonMonday Ozturk’slawyers say her detention violates her constitutional rights, including free speech and due process. They have asked that shebe released from custody
U.S. Justice Department lawyers say her case in New England should be dismissed and that it should be handled in immigration court. Ozturk “is notwithout recourse to challengethe revocationof hervisaand herarrest and detention, but suchchallenge cannot be made before this court,”governmentlawyers said in abrief filed Thursday She recalled that the night shespent in thecellinVermont, she was askedabout wanting to apply for asylum andifshe wasa memberof aterrorist organization. “I tried to be helpful and answertheir questions but I was so tired and didn’tunderstand whatwas happening to me,” she stated.
Ozturk, who suffers from asthma, hadanattack the next day at the airport in Atlanta, as she wasbeing taken to Louisiana, she said. She wasable to useher inhaler, but unable to gether prescribed medication because there was no place to buy it,
she said she wastold. Once shewas putinthe Louisiana facility,she was notallowedtogooutside during the first week and had limited access to food and supplies fortwo weeks. She said she suffered three more asthma attacks there and had limited care at amedical center Ozturk said she is one of 24 people in acellthathas asign stating capacity for 14. “When they do theinmate count we are threatened to not leave our beds or we will lose privileges,which means that we areoften stuckwaiting in ourbedsfor hours,”she said. “At mealtimes, there is so muchanxiety because there is no schedule when it comes.…Theythreaten to close thedoor if we don’t leavethe room in time, meaning we won’tget ameal.” Ozturk saidshe wants to go back to Tuftssoshe can finish her degree, which she hasbeenworking on for five years.
BY JAIMIE DING Associated Press
LOS ANGELES Erik and Lyle Menendez’s resentencing hearings can continue despite opposition from the Los Angeles County districtattorney, ajudge ruled Friday They weresentenced to life in prison withoutthe possibilityofparoleatages 18 and 21 after being convicted of murdering theirparents, Jose and Kitty Menendez, in their Beverly Hillshome in 1989.
Former Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón asked ajudgelast year to change the brothers’ sentencefromlife without the possibilityofparole to 50 years to life. Thatwould made themimmediately eligible for parole because they committed the crime when theywereyounger than 26. But Gascón’ssuccessor re-
versedcourse.Nathan Hochman submitted amotion last month to withdraw the resentencing request. In light of Hochman’s opposition to resentencing, Los Angeles County Superior CourtJudge Michael Jesic ruled that the court can move forward with the hearing. “Everything you argued today is absolutely fair game for the resentencing hearing next Thursday,” he said.
Hochman’soffice said they couldnot support thebrothers’ resentencing because they had not admitted to lies told during their trial about why they killed their parents and did not “fully recognize, acknowledge, and accept complete responsibility” for their crime.
Thebrothers appeared in court over Zoom but hadn’t made anypublicstatements through the first fewhours of Friday’sproceeding.
Whilethe defenseargued they acted outofself-defense after years of sexual abuse by their father,prosecutors said the brothers killed their parents for amultimilliondollar inheritance.
Deputy DistrictAttorney Habib Balian said Friday that the key issue with Gascón’sresentencing petition was that it did not fully address rehabilitation and missed keyelementsofthe original crimecommitted. Balian presented evidence and video clips of the brothers’ testimony fromthe first trial to demonstrate instances where they “hunkered down in their bunker of deceit, lies, and deception.” He said the brothers killed theirparents outofgreed whenthey learned they would be taken out of the will,citing psychiatrist’s notes that he saidshowed “this was notself-defense.”
PROVIDED PHOTO
Rumeysa Ozturk, a30-year-old doctoral student at Tufts University,isdetained March 25 by Departmentof Homeland Security agents on astreet in Sommerville, Mass.
An ordinance that would have opened the door for a new affordable housing development in Port
Allen failed at a packed City Council meeting Wednesday night, the culmination of months of sparring between the council, residents and the hopeful developer Council members Gary Hubble,
April King and Adrain Joseph voted against subdividing the lot currently owned by the city at 605 N. 15th St. The move would have prompted the sale of the property to Mississippi-based Rowanoak
Development and eventually the construction 44 free-standing houses for low- and moderate-income families. Council members Charlene Gordon and Gregory Payne voted in favor of the subdivision.
“Take it to another community,” Port Allen resident Christina Po-
ray said at the meeting. “Take it to Ascension Parish, take it to Livingston Parish. Don’t take it to our parish.”
Comments on the proposed development ran the gamut from complaints of steep rents to traffic
HAVE A BOOK AT THAT
ABOVE: Daniel, 11, flips through a book while Jeremiah, 8, fights for a book to be purchased as their mom, Christy Vicknair, sorts through the box of books they collected while shopping during the Friends of the LSU Libraries Book Bazaar at John M. Parker Agricultural Coliseum on Friday. The annual event offers thousands of new and used books, CDs, DVDs and vinyl records. The event ends Saturday and is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. BELOW: Dozens of shoppers browse for books during the Friends of the LSU Libraries Book Bazaar on Friday STAFF PHOTOS By
JAVIER GALLEGOS
Police: Men riding horses in La. Walmart arrested
Staff report
BY MIKE SMITH Staff writer
Four people who rode horses through a Walmart in Baker — a scene captured on a video posted online have been arrested, authorities said Friday Brendon Bridgewater, 24, Patrick Derozan, 22, and Mason Webb, 18, turned themselves in on
misdemeanor counts of entering and remaining after forbidden, unlawful post of criminal activity and disturbing the peace, Baker Police Chief Carl Dunn said. The fourth, a 16-year-old juvenile, turned himself in on the same counts Friday morning. Unlawful posting of criminal activity, first made a state crime
in 2008, forbids the posting of any video or stream of a crime to gain notoriety or publicity
The video posted to the social media platform TikTok shows four individuals riding horses through the Walmart. Part of the footage appears to show the perspective from atop a horse as the group rides down the store’s aisles.
“Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy),” a 2006 song by Big & Rich, plays over the video Dunn said the group’s actions “might be fun to them at the time, but you know, this could’ve been real bad for other citizens.”
“We’ve got to always think of others before we act.”
‘48 Hours’ will tell story of La. woman’s murder
Son wrote a book on ’87 Hammond crime
BY JUDY BERGERON
Staff writer
Reggie Reed Jr. titled his book
“The Day My Mother Never Came Home.”
That day, Aug. 23, 1987, Selonia Reed’s body was found inside her car outside a Hammond convenience store. She had been raped and beaten; the autopsy revealed cause of death to be four puncture wounds in her heart. Reed Jr., her only child, was 6 years old
“She would light up any room she would walk in and she was very approachable,” Reed Jr. recalled Thursday from San Antonio, where he and his family have lived for 15 years. “I was basically her world, you know, just from what I hear from family and friends of hers. She worked as a teller at a bank in Hammond and she had the potential, strong potential, as far as moving up in the ranks.”
Justice for Selonia Reed, who was 26 when she died wouldn’t come until 35 years later when Reggie Reed Sr., her husband and Reggie Jr.’s father, was convicted of the crime in late 2022. He was sentenced to life in prison without parole in early 2023.
Reed Jr.’s life and his book, sub-
obviously everyone who’s dealt with trauma is not going to write a book. But I felt I had enough of a story to put it on paper,” the author said. “It definitely served as a healing process for me as well.
“Because it’s one of the things when I speak with different people or on podcasts, I’m like, the first step with dealing with trauma is that you’ve got to own it. You’ve got to recognize it, you can’t avoid it. You’ve got to get to know it, you know what I mean? You can’t just tuck it away, you really have to make friends with it because it’s a part of you.”
Concrete plans for the book coincided with Reed Sr.’s 2019 indictment in his wife’s death. He had told police at the time that his wife left the house the previous night saying she was going out, and that he was playing video games with his son at the time of the killing.
who maintains his innocence, was found guilty He is being held at Elayn Hunt Correctional Center in St. Gabriel.
“My dad’s serving life, but Jimmy’s no longer here. He died like a year ago,” Reed Sr said. Probably surprising to many, Reed Jr said he visited his father in prison last Father’s Day, and the two talk often by phone
“Newsweek put an article out about a year ago about me continuing to maintain my relationship with my dad, and the internet trolls …” Reed Jr said. “Like, ‘Oh, he’s crazy, he’s psychotic, but a lot of people don’t understand. My dad raised me. You don’t really get it unless you’re in a situation like this, you know? He raised me and look, he was a good dad I’ve come to the conclusion, you know, at the end of the day, forgiving someone is for me. It’s the rule of thumb.”
titled “A True Crime Memoir,” will be the subject of a “48 Hours” segment at 9 p.m. Saturday on CBS.
“I felt that it (the book) was needed to turn this situation, as an adult, into a positive and really tell my own narrative,” said Reed Jr now 44.
“Really, it wasn’t to make money and all that. It’s really to help people cope and deal with trauma and being vulnerable and sharing my story,” he said “ I’m going to put myself out there as a regu-
NEW ORLEANS
lar person. I built a successful life after facing this. I just want to encourage others who may have dealt with trauma or things, whether it’s of this magnitude or something smaller or something in the middle, that you can still make something out of it and still move on with life and be successful and so forth.”
The writing process proved cathartic for Reed Jr as well.
“Writing about it, it’s kind of similar to talking about it, you know,
Voters to speak on job discrimination
Advocates say people with convictions face challenges
BY JAMES FINN Staff writer
Voters this fall will have the chance to take a symbolic stand against job discrimination against people with felony convictions, the New Orleans City Council decided this week.
The council on Thursday voted unanimously to put a measure before voters on Oct. 11 that would bar local laws that discriminate based upon workers’ past felonies. The vote spurred emotional testimony from people who had struggled to find work due to past convictions.
The proposed language, to be added to the city’s bill of rights, states that “no law shall arbitrarily and unreasonably discriminate against a person based on conviction history.”
Like a “workers bill of rights” New Orleanians approved at the polls last November, the proposed charter change would have no binding effect on employers.
But a chorus of formerly incarcerated people, local activists and council members said the change would hearten people who have
paid their debt to society through long prison terms, only to struggle to find work when they reenter society “We want to work,” said Ronald Marshall, who served time at the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola and now works as chief policy analyst at Voices of the Experienced, an advocacy group. “But we’re being told we can’t work because of a conviction that occurred maybe 20, 30 years ago.”
The ordinance underscores New Orleans’ liberal political climate and tendency to buck conservative policies in a state whose Republican governor, Jeff Landry, has sought to mold the justice system to fit his tough-on-crime vision.
Landry succeeded in overhauling Louisiana’s criminal laws in a 2024 special session that reinstated the death penalty, eliminated parole and slashed opportunities for early release from prison based on good behavior
Landry’s criminal justice agenda suffered a blow last month, however, when voters resoundingly rejected four amendments to the state constitution he had backed, including one that would have allowed the conservative state Legislature to broadly decide which crimes youth can be charged with as adults.
The anti-discrimination measure was sponsored by District E coun-
cil member Oliver Thomas, who is running for mayor and who cast his own 2007 guilty plea on federal corruption charges, after he admitted to taking bribes from a politicallyconnected businessman.
Thomas is asking voters to back his mayoral campaign as part of a “comeback” arc he has traced since being released from federal custody and returning to the City Council in 2022.
Also running for the city’s top office is Thomas’ City Council colleague, council Vice President Helena Moreno, plus former Judge Arthur Hunter, ex-911 call center administrator Tyrell Morris and politically independent licensed counselor Ricky Twiggs. Renada Thomas, a business owner is also running.
Thomas did not mention his own conviction during Thursday’s proceedings. Rather, he described the ordinance as a mechanism to better align New Orleans’ laws with its professed values of inclusivity and equal opportunity
“You can’t have justice for this group and for that group and for this organization or that organization if it’s not applied for everyone,” Thomas said. “This, hopefully, when the people ultimately decide, will at least represent the values of a city that thinks that everyone deserves a chance.”
N.O. juvenile monitoring program launches
$2M push will provide real-time data
BY MISSY WILKINSON Staff writer
A long-awaited, $2 million pilot program that will provide realtime electronic monitoring of juvenile offenders will launch in the coming days New Orleans City Council member at-large Helena Moreno said Thursday
“It took a lot of collaborating and coordination to get this together,” Moreno said, thanking the state’s Office of Juvenile Justice, Orleans Parish Juvenile Court judges, New Orleans City Council members and Mayor LaToya Cantrell for their work forging the agreement. The program will provide roundthe-clock monitoring and immediate enforcement when a violation occurs by beefing up the Office of Juvenile Justice with more probation and parole officers, who have
arrest powers, are trained to work with young offenders and have experience working with NOPD, Moreno said.
Twelve Office of Juvenile Justice probation and parole officers and four supervisors will funded by the yearlong pilot, and they’ll be capable of monitoring up to 200 youths wearing ankle monitors in real time, Moreno said So far, five officers and one supervisor have been hired, Moreno said, with the capability of supervising about 50 kids. Currently, 25 youths are wearing ankle monitors.
“But I think also that judges are not putting as many kids on ankle monitors due to the fact that you can’t have them monitored in real time,” Moreno said Thursday
While judges previously received reports of infractions — such as ankle-monitor tampering or entering a restricted area they received them every 30 days, rather than in real time.
Sometimes those reports came too late to prevent tragedy Last
year, Kristi Thibodeaux, a French Quarter tour guide, was allegedly killed by a juvenile with a deactivated ankle monitor, and Jvoine Elow Jr., 15, was killed while wearing an untracked ankle monitor
“It is important to have a robust system that functions completely — because if it doesn’t function as it is intended to, the public does find out,” Orleans Parish Juvenile Court Judge Ranord Darensburg said at a March 31 meeting of the City Council’s Criminal Justice Committee. “And that makes it a useless system.”
Real-time electronic monitoring “is an effective tool to stop kids from coming back (into the criminal justice system),” Judge Candice Vaughn Bates-Anderson said at the City Council committee’s criminal justice meeting. “It’s an effective tool against recidivism. You’re able to put those kids back in the community, keep them in school and them involved with their families.”
Police: Baton Rouge teen dies after being shot
(225) 389-4869 or Crime Stoppers at (225) 344-7867.
The Selonia Reed case soon went cold. Years later in reexamining the evidence, DNA testing on a cigarette butt found at the scene led authorities to another man, Jimmy Ray Barnes Located in Atlanta, Barnes told investigators he was the key to solving the case, and eventually testified that he did pick up Reed Sr from the crime scene, but that it was Reed Sr who killed the woman.
Barnes, with credit for time served, was released and Reed Sr.,
SUBDIVISION
Continued from page 1B
concerns to protests of affordable housing in their backyard — but were resounding in their opposition.
Resident Maggie Edward said she didn’t want Port Allen kids to be associated with a “low-income district.”
“We have the best students, and they’re looked down on,” she said, choked up. “And I resent that.”
David Strange, owner of Rowanoak, declined to comment on the outcome of the vote. During the meeting, he said affordable housing would enable low- and moderate-income residents to spend more money in the Port Allen community, boosting the local economy The would-be tenants are already residents and neighbors of the people who opposed the development, he added.
“There are only a few people who have expressed objections and concerns, none of which are grounded in fact,” Strange said ahead of the vote. “This development will provide much-needed affordable housing to this community.”
RIVER
Continued from page 1B
are making their way to Louisiana.
Projections are showing the river cresting in New Orleans around April 25, lasting around five days. A river flow rate of 1.25 million cubic feet per second triggers a Bonnet Carre opening, and that tends to correlate to 17 feet on the Carrolton gauge in New Orleans, or roughly 17 feet above sea level.
Current projections are showing it top out just below that, at around 16.5 feet, though the margin of error includes levels above.
Corps spokesperson Ricky Boyett said National Weather Service forecasts do “not indicate operation of the Bonnet Carre Spillway at this time, though I will note that forecasts change daily as better information becomes available
A recommendation to operate the Bonnet Carre is based on actual river flow measurements.”
Louisiana state climatologist Jay Grymes had earlier Friday indicated the Corps was evaluating the possibility of a possible partial spillway opening “for upward of nine days” later this month. But Boyett said the Corps prepares for it in case needed when the river rises as it is now to ensure it is ready to act if necessary
Any spillway opening, if it would occur, may be relatively shortlived since the river is expected to gradually fall soon after its crest Bonnet Carre has not been opened since 2020.
“Fortunately, the forecast crests along the lower Mississippi are expected to give way to slow-butsteady falls during the final week of April,” Grymes said in an email update on river levels. “That will limit the duration of openings at Bonnet Carre.” The Corps has already projected
He believes not forgiving only hurts oneself.
“This is not Joe Blow that I’m forgiving; this is my father, you know? What happened is what happened. I can’t change that, it happened,” he said. “I can control what I can control I can control how this story moves forward, I can control the narrative.”
Email Judy Bergeron at jbergeron@theadvocate.com.
In rejecting the ordinance, the council contradicted a position it took in February, when the majority voted to recommend the lot be subdivided. King said she and her fellow elected officials heard how scared residents were about “what would be moving here.”
“We did listen to the people,” said King, who was elected this past November “That’s what got my vote.”
The fact that the housing was proposed by an out-of-town developer added to general wariness of the project. At the meeting, Strange said he was from Baton Rouge, but his business is based in Mississippi.
“At the end of the day y’all are gone,” council member Hubble said. “Guess who’s gonna be left to clean up any mess that’s generated?”
Mayor Terecita Pollard Pattan voiced frustration with the monthslong, often heated discourse over the proposed development. She said she wished more residents had come to her office to have a conversation about the project.
“I think before we can move forward, first, we have to look within ourselves,” she said. Email Haley Miller at haley miller@theadvocate.com.
that it will enter what is known as
a phase I flood flight on Monday, which means inspections of the levee system twice per week for potential seepage or other concerns. Unauthorized subsurface work within 1,500 feet of levees is banned during phase I, which is triggered when the Carrolton gauge reaches 11 feet.
Bonnet Carre, located in St. Charles Parish, connects the river to Lake Pontchartrain through a floodway and bays that are opened when needed It was built as part of the levee system along the river following the great flood of 1927 which severely inundated Louisiana communities. It has been opened 15 times, including twice in 2019 due to heavy rains that year in the Ohio and Mississippi River valleys The river rises in the late winter and spring due to seasonal rains and snow melt flowing down from the Midwest.
Opening the spillway relieves pressure on the levees, a key flood-protection measure in south Louisiana. But the influx of fresh water into Lake Pontchartrain, through the Rigolets and out to the Gulf can damage commercial shrimp and oyster fisheries, which has in the past led to declarations of emergency as a result. The Mississippi drains more than 40% of the contiguous United States.
Email Mike Smith at msmith@ theadvocate.com.
PROVIDED PHOTO FROM CBS NEWS
Vladimir Duthiers, left, a correspondent for CBS News, talks with Reggie Reed Jr outside the house Reed grew up in in Hammond
Becnel,Charles Greenoaks FuneralHome, 9595 FloridaBoulevard, at 2p.m
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Obituaries
Deshotels, Damien
Damien Alfred "D.D."
Deshotels, anative of Baton Rouge and alongtime resident of Denham Springs, passed away peacefully on April 9, 2025, at the age of 78. AgraduateofIstrouma High School, D.D. had an extensive career in grocery store management. D.D. was an avid reader and a lover of animals, and he could always be found with adog in his lap or following behind him. A beloved husband, father, and grandfather, D.D. enjoyed spending time with his family and friends, checking on them every day when they were unable to be with him. He was preceded in death by his parents, Damien and Rita (Jarreau) Deshotels, and his brother Donald "Putt" Deshotels. He is survived by his loving wifeof 58 years, Valerie (Hebert) Deshotels, daughter Dee Ann (Deshotels) Ardonne son-in-law Robby Ardonne, granddaughters Aimee and Shelley Ardonne, sister Donna (Deshotels) Kepper, brother-in-law Keith Kepper, and numerous nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends. Visitationwill take place at Greenoaks Funeral Home &Memorial Park on Sunday, April 13, 2025, from 4PMto7 PM. AMassof Christian Burial willbe held at 10 AM on Monday, April 14, 2025, at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Denham Springs, with burial to follow immediately after at Greenoaks.
We would like to express our gratitude for the staff nurses, and doctors at Golden Age Healthcare& Rehabilitation Center, Fre-
senius KidneyCare, and OurLady of the Lakefor theircareand friendship. In lieu of flowers, donationsinhis name maybe made to Rescue, Rehome, Repeat in Walker, from which he adopted his beloveddog, Maggie.
Ewing, John Lane Johnny
John "Johnny"LaneEwing December12, 1953April 9, 2025 John "Johnny"LaneEwing,71, passedaway peacefully at hishome in New Roads, Louisiana on April 9, 2025.Born on December 12, 1953,inNew Roads, Louisiana, Johnny was ahardworking businessman, community member, and devotedfamilyman. Johnny was a member of the first graduatingclass of FalseRiver Academy and later graduated from Louisiana State University. He worked alongside his siblings and father to establishLAExpress convenience stores. He laterdeveloped Satterfield'sonFalse Riverand purchasedand redevelopedTiger Truck Stop. His dedicationtoserving the communityand creating localemploymentopportunitieswas recognized when he received theSBA Small Business Person of the Year award.Overthe years, Johnny contributed to his community through service on the Pointe CoupeeChamber of Commerce,PointeCoupeeand City of New Roads Planningand Zoning Commissions, and the False River Airport Commission. He also served on the boards of Guaranty Bank, FalseRiver Academy, and CityofNew Roads MainStreet. Johnny was preceded in death by his parents, Elizabeth "Betty" Hebertand James Ewing,and mother-in-law Genevieve Glaserand father-in-lawCharles "Puddin" Glaser.Heissurvived by his lovingwife, Danna Glaser; his children, John "Lane,"Jr. (Anna Magee), Caryl(Ken), Arthur (Lauren), and Becky (Michael); his stepchildren, Stephen (Chandler)and Brandon (Kristyn) David; hissiblings, James"Jimmy" (Donna), Al (Zel), Mickey, and Jerry(Paula); and his eleven grandchildren, Elie, Rhea, Merritt,Jeanne, Stella,Walker, Luke, John Lane III, Charles, James, and Amalie. Avisitation will be held at St. Stephen'sEpiscopal Church in Lettsworth, Louisiana on Saturday, April 12 from 8:30 to 10:30 immediately followed by areligious service and interment in the church cemetery. PallbearerswillbeLane Ewing, Arthur Ewing, Stephen David, Brandon David, Lance Glaser, and Zack Glaser. Honorary pallbearerswillbeKarlGlaser and Charles"Brother" Glaser, Jr.Inlieuofflowers, the family requests contributionstothe St. Stephen's Episcopal Church.
Paula Morris Howat, a mother,grandmother,professor, teacher, researcher,and mentor,died on April 4, 2025.Paula was anative of West Virginia, daughter of Ruby and Paul Morris, bornin1939in Greenbank, WVinPocahontasCounty. She graduated from Huntington East High School and Marshall University in Huntington, WV.She continuedher educationatDukeUniversity Medical Center, Durham, NC; the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, andVirginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA where she earned aPhD in Nutrition and became aRegistered Dietitian. She practicedclinical dietetics in hospitals and otherhealthcarefacilities for10years includingDuke UniversityMedicalCenter, Durham, NC, HarvardUniversity School of Public Health, Boston, MA; Lankenau Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA; then rerouted herprofessionalinterests to the university level in teaching and research. Shetaught and conducted research at
Mississippi StateUniversity, Starkville,MSand moved further south where she was atenured professorteaching,conducting research and after 25 years retired as aProfessor of Nutritioninthe School of Human Ecology at LouisianaState University in BatonRouge, LA She publishedmorethan 50 research papers and wrote abook composedof newly developed as wellas modified traditional recipes. The book, publishedin1998, was designedfor healthy eating The needfor such abook, presentedinanunderstandable, realistic manner was areflection of Dr. Howat's years of clinical work. Paulaissurvivedby awonderfuldaughter, Heidi Ann HowatWendt, a greatson-in-law,Thaddeus Wendt, and 2beautiful, wonderfulgrandchildren,a grandson, GraysonPaul Wendt and agrand-daughter, Shelby Grace Wendt. Paula was preceded in death by her immediate family consisting of her mother, RubyWaddell Morris Hogg, her father Paul Anderson Morris, a brotherRobert LeeMorris, asister Harolyn June Morris, and astep-father, RussellHogg. Since Paulainvested most of her life in thefield of health, she donated her remains to the LSUSchool of Medicine in NewOrleans for theeducation of future physicians. In lieu of flowers,memorial donations may be madeto any of thefollowing: Eating Disorders Research & Treatment; The National Kidney Foundation; The Heart Association; or the The ArthritisFoundation of Louisiana. The family wouldliketothank thefollowing for theexcellent care they providedfor Paulathroughout her latter years, weeks and days: OchsnerHealth;Fresenius Baker; The Hospice of BatonRouge Butterfly Wing; and especially her caregiver, MicheleBerthier. ACelebration of Life honoring Paula Morris Howat is being held Thursday,May 15 from5pm to 7pmatBlackwater UnitedMethodist Church, 10000 Blackwater Road,Baker, Louisiana. Those attending are encouragedtowear her favorite color, LSUpurple.
Knapps Sr., Steve
SteveKnapps, Sr., born on December 19, 1945 in BatonRouge,Louisiana, died on April 10, 2025 at the ageof79. He liveda life filled with love,laughter, and adeepappreciation for thesimple joys in life He is survivedbyhis childrenMelissa Knapps Moss, Mary KnappsMoore,Tina Knapps Smith,Kevin McBride, Steve Knapps,Jr., Step SonKenny Wayne Parks, his sisterTracie Knapps Johnson (Paul), brothers Rocky Knapps (Glinda) and Larry Knapps (Arlene)and Great Aunt Sadie Latino. He is preceded in death by his loving wife Betty WestKnapps, his parents Lilllian Boudreaux Knapps and Kirby Knapps,Maternal Grandparents Aline David Boudreaux and Clebert Boudreaux, Paternal Grandparents Morrisand EstelleOlindeKnapps,and Step DaughterDonna Lynn Leblanc.
Stevededicated his life as aself-employed painter and was known for his craftsmanship and dedication to his work. In his free time he always enjoyed a friendly game of playing cards. He was akindand loving personwho always madepeople feelwelcomed. May hissoul rest in peace and his memory be ablessing to allwho knew and lovedhim.
Lamonica,Joe Louis
It is with greatsadness thatweannouncethatour veryloving, handsome wonderful,generous, and funnyJoe L. Lamonica,92 years of age, passedaway onWednesday April9,2025 at11:25 a.m.,surrounded byloved ones.Hewas quite a fighter, butGod hadother ideasand called
himhometobewithhis beloved,beautiful wife Rose. Joeand Rose were married for73wonderful lovingyears andshareda veryuniqueand remark‐ablelovestory.His wife al‐wayssaidhewas thebest husband in theworld and his daughtersalwayssaid thatGod blessedthemfor givingthemthe twomost wonderful parentsGod could have ever blessed anybody with.Heissur‐vived by histwo adoring daughters,Kathy Lamon‐ica;and JoyceLamonica Rollins andhusband John whomheconsideredhis son.Heisalsosurvivedby his sister RosalieGarofalo. Heisalsosurvivedbyso manypeopleheloved -the Lamonicaand Garofalo families of Lamonica Road - Rosalie,Larry Sr., Ronald Louis,Larry GarofaloJr. Todd, Wyatt, Dusty, Megan, Greyson Rose,Caitlynn, Ryan, Fallon andKanan,as wellasSamueland Sharon Maglioio andfamily. He was preceded in deathby his parentsLouis andTina PitslataLamonicaand brother Anthony(Bubbie) Lamonicaaswellasnu‐merousaunts, uncles and cousins on theLamonica and Pitslata sidesofthe family. We also offerour sincerest thanks to Michael andDusty Garo‐falo(withoutwhose help wecould nothavemade it),JohnRollins,Jr.,Ronald Garofalo, Larry M. Garo‐falo, Sr., RosalieGarofalo, Angie Domiano, MayStil‐ley,JohnnyViola and BrandiRandall andtohis wonderful sitters(Jerrika, Mashana,Kailynn, Claudia, Ashley, Donna,and Cally) who helped us take such good care of him. Visita‐tionwillbeheldatMcK‐neelyFuneralHomeof Amite on Monday,April 14, 2025, beginningat8:00a.m for familyand beginningat 9:00a.m.for friends. Ser‐vices will then be held at 2:15p.m.atMcKneelyFu‐neral Home Chapel in Amite,followedbyburial atColonialCemeteryinIn‐dependence. Pallbearers willbeJohnRollins,Jr., RonaldGarofalo, Larry Michael Garofalo, Jr Todd Garofalo, WyattGarofalo, and Samuel Maglioio.Hon‐orary pallbearerswillbe Larry M. Garofalo, Sr Mor‐ris (Buck) Domianoand Paul(Chimp) Lamonica.For anonlineguestbook,visit http://www.mckneelys com.
Melear,Michael Raymond'Mike'
Street,Norco,LA, on Mon‐day,April 14, 2025, with vis‐iting at 10:00 am followed byservicesat11:00 am.Af‐terwards, therewillbea celebration of life with friends andfamily. In lieu of flowers, thefamilyre‐questsa donation in his memorytoOur Lady of the LakeFoundationorSt.
1, 2025, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Born on March 3, 1945, Jameswas aman whose presence was as warm andcomforting as thesouthernsun
Jameswas known for hisinfectious humor and selfless nature, touching thelives of everyone around him.
MichaelRaymond Me‐learwas born on August 29, 1952, in BoyntonBeach Florida,and passedaway onApril 7, 2025, in Baton Rouge,Louisiana.Mikewas predeceased by hispar‐ents, TF (Tyler Feno)and CarrillaLansfordMelear, his brother, Larry W. Me‐lear, andhis brother-inlaw,HankBretz.Mikeis survivedbyhis loving wife, Paula SonnierMelear, and his children,CarrieMelear (TimDotson) andMichael (Laura) Melear.Healso leavesbehindhis bonus children, Katye(Shea)Sny‐der,Emily (Michael)Har‐grove,and Charlie(Jade) Sonnier.Mike’sbeloved grandchildren,LucyDot‐son,Owenand Daniel Me‐lear, alongwithhis bonus grandchildren Walker and Jackson Barbin,Austen (Hannah)and WendySny‐der,Emmett Hargrove,and Quinn, Chloe, andBarrett Sonnier,willcherish his memory. Mike is also sur‐vived by hisfather-in-law, Henry Bretz, in-lawsMary and Ronnie Parker,and his formerwife, Christie Me‐lear. He wasblessedwith extendedfamilyand friends from near andfar Mike'slifewas filledwith adventure andencom‐passedmanypassions. RaisedinSouth Florida withdeep roots in thefam‐ily dairybusiness, Mike's career spannedvarious roles,including deputy sheriff, search andrescue diver,EMT,snowski in‐structor, insurancead‐juster, real estate devel‐oper, FEMA site manager, and oilrefinery supervisor His hobbieswerediverse, including therestoration of antique buggiesand trucks, scubadiving, para‐chuting, andespecially fishingand hunting. Mike loved musicand wasonce partofa bluegrassband; later in life,hetook up the Cajun accordion. He had fondmemoriesofhis horse,Smoke,and hisGer‐man Shepherd,Piper.A memorialservice will be heldatH.C.Alexander Fu‐neralHome, 22 Apple
Williams, James Louis
JamesLouis "Pig Williams, aged 80, abeaconoflove and laughter, passedaway on April
Howat,Paula Morris
BRIEFS
FROM STAFFAND WIRE REPORTS
BR Crowne Plaza hotel sold for$18 million
TheBaton RougeCrowne Plazahotel has been sold to a Florida group for $18 million. APM Property Holdings LLC, of Jacksonville, purchasedthe 294-room hotel near the intersection of Interstate 10 and College Drive in adeal filed lastweekwith the East Baton RougeParish Clerk of Court
The seller was BR Capital Holdings Inc., of Illinois.
The previous owners of the hotel recently completed a comprehensive renovationto bring the property up to the latest Crowne Plaza standards saidTim Osborne, of Hunter Hotel Advisors,which brokered the sale. Becauseofthis, there are no plans to change the hotel brand, and APM can take over ownership with minimum upfront costs.
Al Mori of APM said in a statement the hotel has a “great team” in place. Schulte Hospitality has been selected as the property’smanagement company.Schulte’sportfolio includes the Pontchartrain Hotel andMemoir WarehouseDistrict in New Orleans
The hotel was built in the 1970s and has flowna number of different flagsoverthe years. It has been aRadisson, Sheraton and aHoliday InnSelectbefore being rebranded as Crowne Plaza in 2008. Crowne Plaza is abrand under the IHG umbrella.
Shipping nations agree on newglobal fee
Many of the world’s largest shipping nations decided on Friday to impose aminimum fee of $100 for every tonofgreenhouse gases emitted by ships above certain thresholds, in what is effectively the first global tax on greenhouse gas emissions
TheInternationalMaritime Organization estimates $11 billion to $13 billion in revenue annually fromthe fees, with the money to be put into its net zero fundtoinvest in fuels andtechnologies needed to transition to greenshipping, rewardlowemission ships and supportdeveloping countries so they aren’t left behind with dirty fuels and old ships. The thresholds set through the agreement will get stricterovertime to try to reach the IMO’sgoal of net zero across the industry by about 2050.
The agreement, reachedwith the United States notably absent, is expected to be formally adopted at an October meeting to take effect in 2027. The IMO, which regulates international shipping, also set amarine fuel standard to phase in cleaner fuels.
Shipping emissions have grownover the past decade to about3%ofthe global total as vessels have gottenbigger,delivering more cargo per trip and using immense amounts of fuel.
Wholesale inflationfell but trade war may swap U.S. wholesale prices felllast month in another sign that inflationary pressures are easing. But President Donald Trump’strade wars cloud the outlookasnew, punishing tariffs are launched by Beijing and Washington.
The producer price index which tracks inflation before it hits consumers —fell 0.4% from February first drop since October 2023, the Labor Department said Friday.Compared with ayear earlier,producer prices rose 2.7%, down from a 3.2%year-over-year gain in February and much lower than the 3.3% economists had forecast.
Gasoline prices fell 11.1% from February
Excluding volatile food and energy prices, so-called core wholesale inflation fell 0.1% from February,the first drop since July.Compared with ayear earlier, coreproducerprices rose 3.3% and lower than economists had forecast.
The report comes aday after the LaborDepartment delivered good news on inflation at the consumer level. Its consumer price index rose 2.4% last month from March2024, the smallest yearover-year gain since September
U.S. stocks jump,capping chaoticweek
BY STAN CHOE Associated Press
NEWYORK U.S. stocks jumped Friday in another manic day on Wall Street, while the falling value of theU.S. dollar and otherswings in financial markets suggested fear is still highabout escalations in President Donald Trump’strade war with China.
The S&P 500 rallied, after veering repeatedly between gains and losses, tocap achaotic and historic week full of monstrousswings.The DowJones Industrial Average went from an early loss of nearly340 pointsto a gain of 810 before set-
tling higher,while the Nasdaq composite also jumped.
Stocks kicked higher as pressure eased abit from within the U.S. bond market. It’stypically the more boring corner of Wall Street, but it’s been flashing serious enough signals of worry this week that it’sdemanded investors’ and Trump’sattention.
Susan Collins, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, toldthe Financial Times that the Fed “wouldabsolutely be prepared” if marketsbecomedisorderly and “does have tools to address concernsabout market functioningor liquidity should they arise.”
Several reasons could be behind this week’sjump in U.S. Treasury yields,which is unusualbecause yields typically fall when fear is high. Investors outside the United
States couldbesellingtheir U.S. bonds because of thetrade war,and hedge fundscould be selling whatever’savailable in order to raise cash to cover other losses. More worryingly,doubts may be rising about theUnitedStates’reputation as theworld’s safest placetokeep cash because of Trump’sfrenetic, on-and-off tariff actions.
Thevalue of the U.S. dollar also fell again Friday againsteverything fromthe euro to the Japanese yen to theCanadian dollar
That’seventhough gold,another place where investors have instinctually flocked whenfear is high, rose to bolster its reputation as a safer haven.
ManyonWall Street are prepared for more swings to hit markets. This pastweek beganwithhugeswings for U.S. stocks within each dayas rumors swirled and then got batted down aboutapossible 90-day pauseonTrump’stariffs. Then the U.S. stock market surged to one of its best days in history after Trump diddeliver apause,beforeswinging to endthe week.
The shaky trading came after China announced Friday that it was boosting its tariffs on U.S. products to 125% in thelatest tit-for-tat increase following Trump’sescalationsonimportsfrom China. Risingtensionsbetween the world’s twolargest economiescould cause widespread damage and a possible globalrecession,even after Trump recently announced a90-daypause on some of his tariffs for othercountries, exceptfor China.
Sell-off of U.S. bondsraisesfears
Fearsarise that confidence in
Americaisfading
BY BERNARD CONDON and STAN CHOE AP Business Writers
NEW YORK The upheaval in stocks has been grabbingall theheadlines, but there is abigger problem looming in another corner of the financial markets that rarely gets headlines: Investors are dumping U.S. governmentbonds. Normally,investors rush into Treasurys at a whiff of economic chaos, but now they are selling them as not even the lure of higher interest paymentsonthe bonds is getting them to buy
The freak development has experts worried thatbig banks, funds and traders are losing faith in America as agood place to store their money
“The fear is the U.S. is losing its standing as thesafehaven,” said George Cipolloni, afund manageratPennMutualAsset Management
“Our bond market is the biggest and most stable in theworld,but when you add instability,
bad things can happen.”
That could be bad news for consumers in needofa loan —and forPresident Donald Trump, who had hoped histariff pauseearlier this week would restore confidenceinthe markets.
Aweek ago, the yield on the 10-year Treasury was4.01%. On Friday,the yieldshotas high as 4.58%beforeslidingbacktoaround 4.50%.That’samajor swing for the bond market,which measures moves by thehundredths of apercentage point.
Among the possible knock-on effects is a bighit to ordinary Americans in the form of higher interest rates on mortgages, car financing and other loans.
“Asyieldsmove higher, you’ll seeyour borrowing rates move higher,too,” said Brian Rehling, head of fixed income strategyatWells Fargo Investment Institute. “And everycorporation uses these funding markets. If they get more expensive, they’re going to have to pass along those costs to customers or cut costsby cutting jobs.”
Treasury bonds are essentially IOUs from
the U.S. government, and they’re how Washington paysits billsdespite collectingless in revenue than it spends.
To be sure, no onecan say exactly what mix of factors is behind the developing bond bust or how long it will last, but it’srattling Wall Street nonetheless.
Bonds are supposed to moveinthe opposite direction as stocks, rising when stocks are falling. In this way,they act likeshock absorbers to 401(k)accounts andother portfolios in stock market meltdowns,compensatingsomewhat for thelosses.
“This is Econ 101,” said Jack McIntyre, portfolio manager for Brandywine Global, adding about the bond sell-off now, “It’sleft people scratching their heads.”
Some expertsspeculate thatChina,avast holder of U.S. governmentbonds, is dumping theminretaliation. Butthatseemsunlikely since that wouldhurt thecountry,too. Selling Treasurys, or essentially exchanging U.S. dollars for Chinese yuan, wouldmakeChina’s currency strengthen andits exportsmore expensive.
U.S. consumer sentimentplunges forfourthmonth
BY CHRISTOPHER RUGABER and JOSH BOAK Associated Press
WASHINGTON— U.S. consumer sentiment plunged in April, thefourth consecutivemonthofdeclines, in a seeminglysharprebuke of President DonaldTrump’stradewars that have fueledanxiety over possible joblosses andrising inflation. The preliminary reading of the University of Michigan’sclosely watched consumersentiment index, released Friday,fell 11% on amonthly basis to 50.8, the lowest sincethe depths ofthe COVID-19 pandemic. Over the past year,sentiment has tumbled 34%.
Thedecline was “pervasive and unanimous across age,income, education, geographicregion and
political affiliation,” saidJoanne Hsu, director of the survey The share of respondentsexpecting unemployment to rise in thecoming months increased for the fifth straight month andisnow thehighestsince 2009 during the Great Recession. While consumer sentiment is not alwaysa reliable indicator of the overalleconomy,ithas at times reflected shifting vibesinhow the public feels about presidential leadership. Sentiment among Republicans has dropped 6% over the past month as Trump teased, then rolled out aseries of aggressive tariffs,only to institute a90daypause of some importtaxes
Wednesday
“Interestingly,President Trump appears to be getting much of the
blamefor much of thedeterioration in sentiment, with 67% of respondents saying the governmentisdoing a‘poor job’ on fighting inflation and unemployment,” said James Knightley,chiefinternational economist at ING.“Only 18% say it is doing a‘good job.’”
AskedatFriday’snewsbriefing about the falling consumer sentiment, White House press secretaryKaroline Leavitt said that the public shouldtrust in Trumpashe executes his tariffs plan.
“As he said, this is going to be a period of transition,” shesaid.“He wants consumers to trustinhim, and they should trust in him.”
TheMichigansentiment survey found that people now expect longterm inflation to reach 4.4%, up from 4.1% last month, amove that
may be of particular concern for the U.S. Federal Reserve. The Fed pays close attention to inflation expectations, because they can become self-fulfilling. If people expect prices to rise, they often take steps that can push up prices, such as accelerating purchases or seeking higher wages.
It’sasign that mostofthe public views as ablip data this week showing that consumer inflation declined in March to an annual rate of 2.4%. Most economists believe that, given the intensifying trade wars, inflation is likely to be reignited.
Americans’ inflation expectations over the next five years are nowatthe highestsince 1991, according to Capital Economics, a forecasting firm
ASSOCIATEDPRESS PHOTOByALEX BRANDON
OPINION
ANOTHERVIEW
Administration should know better than to mess with Harriet Tubman’s memory
Iremember araucous discussion amongseveral guys in my eighth grade historyclass about awoman we werereadingabout namedHarrietTubman. All of us spoke “point blank” that we could never have done whatshe did. “And, itwas awoman, too?”wecommented.
Some of us saidwe might have been too afraid to follow her,let alonebethe leader
These teenage boys werefromthe toughSouth BatonRougecommunity and were unanimousthatshe was oneof the bravest, toughestpeoplewehad ever heard of. “Facts,” as theyoungfolk say now.Tubman,anescaped slave, would return in thedead ofnight to plantations and, over time, rescued dozensofslaves. Her path and operation were called the Underground Railroad. She was the tough conductor Imagine ifshe had been caught, we discussed. What kind of public body shredding, hanging or burning a plantation owner wouldforce theslavesand potential escapees to witness?
Recently thousands, maybemillions, were incensed by news that President Donald Trump, with hisdesire to mute and,insome cases, eliminateparts of Black history in America, was at it again.
There were media reports that theNationalPark Service removed Tubman’simage andthe mention of slavery and eliminated areference to the Fugitive Slave Actof1850 entirely. Slave is theoptimum word for deletion because it makes some people feel bad.
Again, “Facts.” Born aslave in Maryland, Tubman escaped in 1849 and later became theso-called conductor of the Underground Railroad.No, it wasnot arail service. It was adangerous, life-threateningjourney into theSouth in thedead of night to eventually rescue and guideanestimated 70 enslaved people to freedom She didn’tshirk from what shedeemedGod’s will by saying herfeet hurt so bad she couldn’t makethe periloustrips.She also became aUnionArmy spy,scoutand nurse.Amazing, right?
The story continues in 1863, when she waspartofa team that liberated hundredsofpeople.You may have been luckyenough to hear aboutthat?
She was astrong supporter of women’s voting rights, giving speeches on women’ssuffrage in NewYork, Boston and Washington, D.C.
My classmates and Icommended allofthat, andso should any American, which is why Iwas enragedby the park service’sactions.
The NPS webpage about theUnderground Railroad removed Tubman from the top of thepage.
Also, the original opening sentence referenced the railroad’scenterpiece, “theresistance toenslavement throughescapeand flight.” According tomedia outlets, the edited versioncalled therailroad “one of the most significant expressions of theAmerican civil rights movement” and described how it “bridgedthe divides of race, religion, sectional differences, andnationality.” Does all that mean “slavery?”
This appeared to be part of Trump’srelentless effort against so-called diversity,equity andinclusionpolicies in the federal government,whichreally means wipingout race and historic actions by people of color.In some cases, officials havescrambledtoremove online content,but hadtorestore it as thechanges became public.Backlashwas quick andvisceral.
So, who’sthe victim of theDEI in thiscase? Iguess it would be the plantation owners andtheir teams of slave hunters who werecontinuallyoutsmartedbyTubman and her crew There apparently werethousands of people like me who were enraged by NPS’s action.So, early this week, it wasreported that Tubman’sphotoand other information had been returned. Also returned were historical accounts of enslaved peoples fighting to reach freedom anda muralofthe 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment, the first Black regiment made up of those raised inthe North. Iwishthat group of my middle school friends were still around with me to talk about this foolishness. The NPS would feel our anger anddisgust.Wewould wonderifthose, and you know who, who felt the need to remove some wordsabout slavery andTubman’sphoto would have been brave enough to do half of what Tubman did. Ican almost hear the easy answer fromthe mouths of my 13-year-old friends:“Not just no,but hell no!” EmailEdwardPratt, aformer newspaperman, at epratt1972@yahoo.com
If we’rerenamingwaterways, here area fewsuggestions
Gov.Jeff Landry,anardent follower of President Donald Trump, has decreed (also by executive order) that all statepublications must refer to what theworld knows as the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America. Landry follows the president’slogic for thename change since theGulf touches so many miles of America’scoastline with great impact.
Iheartily agree! Andinkeeping with that logic, since theMississippi River only touches 71 miles of Mississippi, but touches 177 miles of Louisiana, the river should be renamed the Louisiana River Should our great leaders’ logic be applied worldwide? No, let’sjust stay
close to home. Let’stake the oceans that border the United States, the Atlantic and the Pacific. Since miles of coastline is the metric, both oceans should be renamed after South America. The Pacific, having 49,348 miles of SouthAmerican coast, can be known as the Big South American Ocean, and the Atlantic, having only 46,150 miles of South American coast, can be known as the Little South American Ocean.Maybe West South American and East South American. Ican’twait to see wherethe next logical revelationsofour two great leaders change theworld.
CHARLES MOSLEY Morgan City
Immigrationenforcement actions aredesignedtostoke fear
When did abducting people off the streetsbecomethe American way of dealing withlegal issues, even those of immigration? Arresting ayoung woman studying child development on astudent visa? On adeserted street at night following aday of fasting? Surrounded by six people in masks and dark clothing? She needs to be freed; she will still be traumatized. As believers in law and justice, we have generally believed in allotting law and justice to those in our country,
expecting fair treatment forour own citizens in other countries. Instead, what is the message our current administration is sending? Be afraid. Go along or sufferconsequences. Toomany people, law firms, governmentrepresentatives and universities, have been willing to go along. It’s not working, and it’stimetostart saying this is not who we wanttobecome, this is not what we are going to do. CHRISTINA ALBERS NewOrleans
Many wring their hands at the actionsofPresident Donald Trumpand Elon Musk, but Isuggest you look closer to home at U.S.Rep. Steve Scalise. He’ll never need Medicare or Medicaid because of his $193,400 salary.Alsohe has aseparate health care fund to draw from, and his pension will be upward of $147,000 per year He can retire at 60. No working a second job as aWalmart greeter necessary for him. At his salary level, he stops paying into Social Securityfor the year when he makes $176,100, while mostpeople never reach that cap. Though his party says Social Securityneeds to be cut,
creating anxiety in the working population,itcan easily be fixed. Make him pay all year.Make Musk pay all year Make Trumppay all year Andmost importantly,start now to find amoderate Democrat or independent to run against him next time. If he won’tmeet with his constituents in atruly open town hall, defeat him Government is not abusiness. It is a service, and you deserve better.Elect someonewho cares andhas aheart, not aparty that actually stops food from farmers going to food banks. Raise your voice andthrow the bumsout.
PATRICIA BECKER NewOrleans
Trump’spolicies causinggreat harm,and Congress not stopping it
Ibecame aGoldwater Republican when I first registered to vote some62years ago, but after voting for Donald Trumpin2016, Ihave voted Democratic to avoid having to vote forhim Iwill not list all of the chaos and harm that Trumphas brought since his inauguration. He has instituted tariffs against longtimeallies, which will cause harm to our consumers since they will ultimately pay the cost of tariffs themselves, furthering inflation. Norwill Imention the retaliatory tariffs against us. This is upsetting our entire industrial and wholesale base, causing economic harm and major inconveniences to consumers.
He is destroying relations with our allies, which have taken generations to develop. Our stock market is in free fall, and our GDP is lower than predicted before his election.
By executive order or the activities of DOGE,heisattempting to supplant the constitutional duty and right of both houses of Congress.
Idonot think history will look kindly on those members of Congress whodonot attempt to halt or restrain his seeming desire to be an autocrat.
Our only hope seemstobe the federal judiciary,which seemstobeholding to constitutional and statutory law
RALPH GOSSARD Baton Rouge
Do pope’s actions matchhis words on immigration?
Isuggest the pope lead by example and open Vatican City to all immigrants.
TOBY RUSSO Chalmette
Edward Pratt
CARR PROBLEMS
Saints quarterbackDerek Carrwarms up before agameagainst the Atlanta Falcons on Nov. 10
suffered ashoulder injurythat could threaten his status for 2025, asource withknowledge of thesituation
Report says Saints quarterbackcould miss 2025 season
BY MATTHEW PARAS and JEFF DUNCAN Staff writers
Despite restructuring his contract, the New Orleans Saints could be without Derek Carr next seasonafter all.
The quarterback suffered ashoulderinjury that could threaten his statusfor 2025, a source with knowledge of the situation confirmed. The NFL Network first reported Friday thatCarrisdealing with the ailment and is weighinghis op-
tions, whichreportedly include surgery The injuryisa stunning development for the Saints and Carr.New Orleans was set to begin the firstphase of its offseason workouts on Monday The team also opted to simply restructure Carr’s contract last month, whicheffectively guaranteed he’d beonthe roster after weeksofspeculation about whether the two sides were headed fora divorce. Carr too, reportedly was open to a change of scenery before the
practice fields.
Daytries to fashion magicat Masters
AUGUSTA, Ga. Jason Day lately has been knownmore forwhat he wears playing golf than actually playing golf
During the 2024 Masters, he was asked by tournament officials to slip out of asweater vest by his new clothes supplier —some outfitcalled Malbon Golf— that had somevery large wording on it. No curse words or anything, just on the high end of the obnoxious meter
This year,Day said he was on a short list of Masters competitors who were asked to submit what clothes they had“scripted” forthe week. Sort of similar to “Who are youwearing?” on the Academy Awards red carpet, but more like “What are youwearing? No, seriously.”
Day and his clothier did tone downthe glitz, as it were, forthis year’s walkdown Augusta National’semerald fairways.
Saintssettled on keeping him.
Still, if Carr can’tplay next season, that would put New Orleans in amajor bind when it comes to the quarterback position. Theteam hasSpencer Rattler and Jake Haener under contract, but thetwo young quarterbackscombined to go 0-7 as starters last year
The Saints, too, have done alot of homework on theincoming class of rookie quarterbacks.Coach Kellen Moore wasspotted at variouspro days around thecountry to evalu-
ate Miami’sCam Ward, Ohio State’sWill Howard andOle Miss’JaxsonDart. The Saints also sent quarterbacks coach Scott Tolzien to Colorado for Shedeur Sanders’ proday,reportedly had dinner with Texas’ QuinnEwers and hosted Louisville’sTyler Shough for avisit Friday
It is unknown if the Saints were doing heavy research on theprospectsbecauseofCarr’s injury,orifthey were trying to
ä See CARR, page 3C
Competitionthe word forLSU’s offensive line
Tigers replacingfourof five starters alongfront
BY WILSON ALEXANDER Staff writer
Brad Davis barked out instructions and blew hiswhistle,moving back and forth betweengroups of offensive linemen. He watchedclosely whilethey worked on combo blocks,yelling“run him” and other commentsabout technique. It was 8:05 a.m. Thursday,and Davis sounded like someone who had been awakefor hours.
LSU’soffensive line coach hasn’t changed, sophomore DJ Chester said, but the circumstances around his positiongroup have. Thepasttwo years, LSU brought back established players at tackleand guard, making it Davis’ jobtowork on what wasalreadyin place.
This year,Davis is in chargeofacritical rebuild. He has to replace four start-
ers, and as LSUheads into its last three spring practices, competition continues to take place throughout the offensive line.
“There’s no Will Campbell outthere where you know there’snoquestion about who your starting left tackle is,” coach BrianKelly said. “They’ve gotto make progress every day.”
BeforeLSU’s open practice Saturday morning in TigerStadium,the starting offensive line during media viewings has consistently been left tackle Tyree Adams,leftguardPaul Mubenga, Chester at center,right guard Coen Echols and right tackle Weston Davis. Butthat couldchangebythe timeLSU opensthe season against Clemson.
“Every day,you’vegot to go outthere and bring it because if not, there’s somebody else who’sbreathing down your neck,” offensive coordinator Joe Sloan said. “We’ve been rolling alot of different guys, giving alot of guys
ä See LSU, page 3C
Masters on TV
“Wekind of cut everything in half,” he said. “It’sgood. Iunderstand. We’re here forthe tournament.” It’s doubly good, because the wayDay has played through the first tworounds of this year’s Masters, it would be ashameif anything took the attention away from Day’sgolf. Away from the resurgent second act of Day’s starry and star-crossed career that could be sartorially validated by aMasters green jacket.
He shot abogey-free 2-underpar 70 in Thursday’s first round. He kept his scorecard clean until Friday’slast hole, when tree trouble off the tee on the 18th allowed the bogey-man to catch up with him.Still, it’sthe fewest bogeys of anyone in the 95-man field, leaving the 37-year-old Australian very much in contention at 4under going into the weekend in arespectable tie forninth.
“Game is nice,” Day said after signing forasecond-straight 70. “I just haven’tholed alot of putts out there, or the putts that Ihad opportunities on.
“I’ve been very patient with myself out there. Yeah, Ijust need
Scott Rabalais
STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON
LSU offensivelinemanBraelin Moore, left,blocks teammate Carius Curne during spring practiceonMarch22atthe LSU
STAFF FILEPHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD
at theCaesarsSuperdome. Carr
confirmed.
LSU falls to Texas A&M in SEC series softball opener
Third-ranked Texas A&M broke a 5-5 tie after two innings with four runs in the fourth and three more over the next two innings and held off No. 5 LSU 12-7 in their SEC series-opening game Friday in College Station, Texas. LSU (35-6, 8-5 SEC) rallied for two in the top of the seventh but didn’t get any closer as Emily Kennedy (13-3) tossed a complete game for the Aggies (35-5, 9-3). Sydney Berzon (15-3) suffered the loss in the circle. Berzon gave up nine runs on eight hits in four innings. She walked four and struck out one. Kennedy went the distance, allowing seven runs on 10 hits with four walks.
The teams will meet in the second game of the series starting at 2 p.m. Saturday
Clark, Fever vs. Reese, Sky tip off WNBA Rivals Week
Stanfield delivers for LSU after transfer
BY KOKI RILEY Staff writer
AUBURN,Ala.— Jay Johnson always liked Chris Stanfield. Johnson didn’t care about what the stats suggested. The LSU baseball coach had watched Stanfield get two hits off of Paul Skenes as a freshman, and his rare athleticism stood out to Johnson
“And when he went to the portal, it’s like, let’s try to get him,” Johnson said. “Because we like him.” Johnson’s instincts and Stanfield have paid off. Through 35 games, Stanfield is posting career highs in batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage in his first season at LSU. He’s played excellent defense in center field, and his on-base plus slugging percentage heading into this weekend’s series against Auburn — his former club — stood at .886.
He bats ninth, but Stanfield’s value to the lineup is not reflected by his spot in the order “There’s not a better guy hitting ninth in the country for anybody as far as how they impact winning,” Johnson said.
Speed is the foundation of Stanfield’s game, not just defensively and on the base paths but also at the plate. His quick hands have helped him become an affective pull hitter The vast majority of his hits this season have gone into left field. Lately, he’s seen more off-speed pitches, likely a sign of teams respecting his ability to catch up to
LSU forward Jersey
Wolfenbarger catches a pass during practice on March 21 at the PMAC.
By MICHAEL JOHNSON
the fastball. “He can hit a fastball, he can run the bases electrically (and) he can bunt,” Johnson said on his radio show in March “He manages the zone pretty good.” Stanfield came to Baton Rouge
Wolfenbarger is 4th LSU women’s player in portal
BY REED DARCEY Staff writer
LSU women’s basketball forward Jersey Wolfenbarger has decided to enter the transfer portal, multiple sources confirmed Friday Wolfenbarger, a 6-foot-5 rising senior, is the fourth Tiger to leave via the portal this cycle. LSU now must replace its entire frontcourt. Aneesah Morrow and Amani Bartlett exhausted their eligibility Then Sa’Myah Smith, Aalyah Del Rosario and Wolfenbarger entered their names into the transfer portal Coach Kim Mulkey and her staff already signed one transfer, former Notre Dame forward Kate Koval, to replace some of the talent they’re losing in the paint. They also will add 6-2 forward Grace Knox, a top-10 national recruit who’s signed to
their No. 1 freshman class. But more additions are likely on the way, especially since Wolfenbarger was in line to step into a key role next season.
Wolfenbarger spent two seasons at Arkansas and one at LSU. She started nine of the 37 games she played in last year
The Tigers helped Wolfenbarger reconfigure her game. In her two seasons as a Razorback, she attempted 120 total 3-pointers but converted only 23% of them.
Wolfenbarger didn’t attempt a single shot from beyond the arc in an LSU uniform. Instead, she took all of her field goals in and around the paint, and as a result, she saw her overall shooting percentage increase from 39% to 63%. As a Tiger, Wolfenbarger played roughly 13 minutes per game and averaged 4.6 points and 3.4 rebounds.
because he wanted to improve as a hitter His slugging percentage and batting average dropped last year after a solid freshman campaign. Becoming ingrained in Johnson’s offensive system has re-
sulted in more walks and doubles.
Stanfield entered this weekend with as many walks (18) as he had during his entire freshman campaign and more doubles (nine) than in either of his two years at Auburn (eight).
The home runs haven’t come yet. Stanfield doesn’t have any after hitting seven in two years at Auburn.
But he’s hit the ball hard consistently, even if he hasn’t been elevating pitches.
His hard-hit rate is reflected in his .442 batting average with balls in play entering this weekend.
“Coming here, my number one goal was prioritizing hitting and developing at the plate,” Stanfield said. “And coach Johnson and the whole staff have done a great job with me and really just believing in my training.”
The LSU roster is littered with transfers. Junior Daniel Dickinson at second base, senior Luis Hernandez at catcher and junior right-hander Anthony Eyanson have been particularly valuable, just to name a few
But as Stanfield returns to Plainsman Park this weekend to face the program that raised him, he’s also proven to be a critical addition for LSU.
“I’ve honestly kind of settled in nicely,” Stanfield said. “I guess knowing where I’m going to be in center field and in the nine hole like that provides comfortability.”
Email Koki Riley at Koki. Riley@theadvocate.com.
Johnson breaks silence about potential return to LSU women’s hoops
BY REED DARCEY Staff writer
The LSU women’s basketball team lost to UCLA, and Flau’jae
Johnson went quiet No social-media posts. No podcast episodes. No official announcement of her decision to pass on the WNBA draft
It was clear that Johnson was returning to college basketball, but was she returning to the Tigers?
Johnson let that uncertainty linger until Thursday, when she indicated in a new episode of her “Best of Both Worlds” podcast that she does, in fact, want to return to LSU for her senior season.
“I want to graduate at LSU,” she said.
Johnson then offered advice for the reported 1,300-plus players who have entered the NCAA transfer portal so far They must find the situation that’s right for them, she said, and prioritize their development. Transferring is a big decision, one that no player should take lightly
“I’ve never really thought about the portal,” Johnson said, “but I don’t know It just depends on your situation.”
This offseason, Johnson could’ve declared for the WNBA draft She could’ve also entered the transfer portal — and she still can any time before it closes on April 23. According to a report by ESPN, she was weighing “offseason NIL offers” (presumably from programs outside of LSU) at the same time she was deciding between her senior season and a potential move to the pros.
It appears that Johnson has since made up her mind. She’s now set to play her senior season with the Tigers, ready to build on the best year of her career
“I learned so much that I’m gonna carry into the new team,” Johnson said, “especially with the freshmen that’s coming in, and they’re so eager to learn. I love that. If they need that, I’ll be there too. So, I’m ecstatic to get back and get to work. I’m excited to get better.”
Last season, Johnson averaged a career-high 18.6 points point game to pair with a 5.6 rebound average and a 2.5 assist average. She shot 47% from the field and 38% from 3-point range. In LSU’s Elite Eight loss, she scored 24 of her 28 points in the second half, nearly willing her team to an improbable comefrom-behind win. Johnson could’ve parlayed that impressive season into an early move to the WNBA.
But the LSU star said on her podcast that her twin desires to develop her game and end her career on a positive note nudged her back to college.
She even mentioned the possibility of a new WNBA collective bargaining agreement, which could be in place as soon as 2026.
Such a deal would usher in larger pay scales for rookies, which gives Johnson an extra financial incentive to stay in college one more year
Other age-eligible stars such as Lauren Betts, Azzi Fudd, Olivia Miles and Ta’Niya Latson all made similar decisions.
Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever will face Angel Reese and the Chicago Sky in prime time to tip off the inaugural WNBA Rivals Week in August.
Other games will include two between New York and Minnesota in a WNBA Finals rematch; a matchup of projected No. 1 draft pick Paige Bueckers and Dallas against Clark’s Fever; and Atlanta’s Brittney Griner facing her old Phoenix squad.
“You can have a great partnership, but you also have to have great activation,” WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert said in a Zoom interview Rivalry week games will be broadcast on a variety of networks, starting with the prime-time game between the Fever and Sky on CBS on Aug. 9.
Gamecocks’ Fulwiley plans to enter transfer portal
MiLaysia Fulwiley plans to leave South Carolina and transfer, her mother confirmed to The State on Friday afternoon. The Greenville News was the first to report the news. Fulwiley just ended her sophomore college season Sunday when the Gamecocks lost to UConn in the national championship game. She scored nine points in 18 minutes. She has two years of eligibility remaining. The Columbia native has often been called a “generational talent” by coach Dawn Staley during her two years with the program. While she was known for her flashy highlight capabilities and improved on defense this year, she showed signs of streaky shooting and had turnover trouble down the stretch of the season.
Embiid has arthroscopic surgery on left knee
Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee on Wednesday, and the team said he will be re-evaluated in about six weeks.
Embiid originally had meniscus surgery on Feb. 6, 2024, days after Golden State forward Jonathan Kuminga fell on the leg. The 2023 league MVP returned for the playoffs, though he never fully recovered. He averaged 23.8 points, 8.2 rebounds and 4.5 assists in 19 games this season before he was shut down.The 76ers have been ravaged by injuries this season.
Tyrese Maxey broke a finger and hasn’t been in action since March 3. Paul George played in just 41 games this season, then was shut down for the year after receiving injections in his left groin and left knee.
Browns have QB Flacco returning on one-year deal
CLEVELAND Veteran NFL quarterback Joe Flacco agreed to terms with the Cleveland Browns on a one-year deal on Friday Flacco will have a base salary of $4 million but can earn more with incentives. He won the league’s Comeback Player of the Year award in 2023 after leading an inspiring late-season surge that carried the Browns to the playoffs for only the second time since their return in 1999. Flacco, 40, spent last season in Indianapolis, throwing for 12 touchdowns and seven interceptions in eight games, including a 2-4 mark as a starter The Browns are in flux at quarterback with Deshaun Watson potentially missing the entire season as he recovers from a ruptured Achilles tendon suffered in January just three months after initially injuring the tendon.
STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON
LSU center fielder Chris Stanfield drives the ball against Mississippi State on March 29 at Alex Box Stadium.
STAFF PHOTO
Ex-LSU pitcherDuttonhandcuffs Tigers
BY KOKI RILEY Staff writer
AUBURN,Ala.— Against Oklahoma,
it was because of the weather.The odd batter’seye played apart in the result against Nicholls State.
There have been reasonsfor LSU baseball’srelative downturn at the plate in recent games. Friday night at PlainsmanPark showedthat even if the reasons havechanged, the results have been similar
LSU was held scoreless through six innings and had few answers for ahot Auburn attack as the hosts took down LSU 8-4.
“There’sabalance that I’mlooking for,” LSU coachJay Johnson said. “You want to be self-aware to things that are correctable. And there (were) some things in this game (that need to be corrected).
“At the same time, the sun comes up tomorrow,and there’sanother competition, so you don’t wantto dwell on the past.”
LSU went 2for 13 with runners on base and 2for 9with runners in scoring position. It had just three hitsthrough sixinnings andonly two men reached scoringposition in that span.
Starting for Auburn and throwingthose first six inningswas senior and former LSU right-hander Sam Dutton. He had seven strikeouts and allowed just five mento reachbase.
With runnerson first and second, Dutton finished his outing with an exclamation point, striking outjuniorEthan Frey
“He didagood job of mixing pitches tonight, keptusoff balance,” junior Jared Jonessaid. “We didn’tdoagood job tonight at the start of the game.”
LSU (31-4, 10-3 SEC) didn’tget on the board until the seventh when Auburnwalked the bases loaded with one out. Freshman Derek Curielgrounded out to first to drive in arun, and Jones smashed atworun double to cut LSU’sdeficitto 7-3.
Consecutive doubles from junior ChrisStanfieldand Curiel with two outs in the ninth inning cut LSU’s deficit to 8-4,but it was too little too late as Jones struckout to endthe game
“We’ll meet about this gameand addressthings that we could have done better relative to the game on offense, from the mound, defensively,” Johnsonsaid, “and there’s afew things.”
Coming offa complete-game shutout aweek ago, LSU sophomore left-hander Kade Anderson wasn’t as sharpFriday. The LSU ace surrendered five earned runs andsix hits in 41/3 innings.
“Hedid fine,” Johnson said. “It’s agood lineup, one of thebetter ones inthe country,and they took abunchofgood at-bats.”
Through four innings, Anderson allowed only tworuns on atwo-run double in the second inning. He had recorded five strikeoutsand surrendered just two hits.
But he ran into trouble in the fifthafter two singles and an error loaded the bases with one out Afterworking his way intoatwostrike count, Anderson surrendereda bases-clearing triple to Ike Irish that gave Auburn a5-0 lead.
After Anderson threw 135 pitches against Oklahoma on April3, Johnson bristled at the idea he may have been fatigued Friday
“From what?” Johnsonasked rhetorically.“From pitching eight days ago?”
Freshman left-hander Cooper Williams replaced Anderson in the fifth and gave up arun-scoring single that extended theAuburn (24-10, 7-6) advantage to six. The next batter doubled off the rightcenter wall, but Williams was able to bear down after that and force agroundoutand astrikeout to escape the inning.
Williams walked the leadoff batter in thesixthbefore exiting for freshman right-hander Mavrick Rizy.Anerrorand arun-scoring single allowed aseventh runto come across in theinning.
Rizy then gave up another runscoring single in the seventh inning that gave Auburn an 8-3 lead.
“Really good opportunity for
Rizy,” Johnson said. “Wehave high hopesfor him this year and in the future.” LSU and Auburn face off again
Bueckers projectedtogoNo. 1inWNBAdraft
BY DOUG FEINBERG
AP basketball writer
NEW YORK The WNBA is set to welcome its new rookie class, headlined by Paige Bueckers when the league holds its annual draft Monday night.
The UConn star,who is fresh off leading the Huskies to their 12th national championship, is projected to go No. 1tothe Dallas Wings. Bueckers will be abig piece on and off the court for the Wings.
Seattle has the second pick and potentially could take France’s Dominique Malonga.
The 19-year-old helped France win the silver medal at the Paris Olympics this past summer.If she’sdrafted second, she’d be only the fifth foreign player to go inthe first two picks in the history of the league. Margo Dydek went first in 1998 and Lauren Jackson wasthe No. 1pick three years later.Liz Cambage was drafted second in 2011 and Awak Kuier went No. 2 in 2021.
The Washington Mystics will control the direction of the draft after the top two picks, having the third, fourth and sixth picks. Washington has anew coach and general manager.
“This is ayear where Washington is ateam that you wanttobe drafted by because they have so many roster spotsavailable,” ESPN analyst Rebecca Lobo said. “This is ateam that if yougothere you’re going to have achance to,
LSU
Continued from page1C
one, make the roster,and two, becomeapart of their rotation.” Five teams don’thave picks in the opening round as New York,
opportunities, and see who continues to riseasthe spring goes on.”
That was not the case this time last year.Campbell and Emery Jones were entrenchedattackle. Miles Frazierand Garrett Dellinger were setatguard. The only change before the 2024 season came at center, and Chester was the obvious replacement for Charles Turner.Now,Chester is the only returning starter. Even with so much continuity,LSU’soffensiveline struggled in the run game. While it allowed an SEClow 15 sacks, the Tigers averaged only116.4 yards rushing, which ranked 107thnationally.Coaches have said there were multiple issues that need to improve. Among them, the offensive line had to be morephysical,anemphasis this offseason.
“The way we’ve beenblockingonthe perimeter,I think that’schanging,” Sloan said. “That’sa massive piece to what we need to do for ouroffense,and it opens up so many different things.But Idefinitely think it’sgoing to start up front and the emphasison coming off the ball and moving people.” Without much returning experience, LSUsigned twotransfers, Northwestern’sJoshThompson and Virginia Tech’sBraelin Moore. Neither of them have secured starting roles yet. Thompson has been the second-team right tackle since joining the team midway through spring practice. He has also gotten reps at guard.
“Webrought in Josh Thompson,” Kelly said, “and everyoneelse is sayingnot sofast,either.” Kelly said before spring practice that Moore would play center,his position lastseason. As aresult,Chesterwould compete at guard.
But so far,Chester has held onto the starting center role while Moore shares reps. Chester said he hasalso practicedatguard. When Mooreentered in one practice, Chester moved to left guard.
“That next level,when Imakeit, they’re goingto bringpeople in,” Chester said. “Got to trust in my work, got to trust in everything Idoevery day.I would never run away from competition. Ilove it.”
Indiana, Phoenixand Atlantaall traded away their picks. Las Vegasforfeited its pickfollowingan investigation by the league in 2023
Chester acknowledged he “wasn’tperforming the best earlyon” as a first-time starter last season. He thought defenses targeted him because he was the newcomer on an experienced line and thatheimproved later in the season. He also knew he had to get better.Hehas beenworking on lowering his pad level, snaps and finishing blocks.
“You look at yourself in themirror,and you’re like, ‘Hey,you’ve got to pick it up,’ ”Chester said. “I’m not only playingfor myself,I’m playingfor my family andthe guys next to me. If Imess up, it looks bad on them
“They are going to the next level right now,soIhad to look at myself in the mirror andIhad to go to work. Iwould never want to be the weak link again.”
Theresultofthe center competition couldhavea ripple effectonthe rest of the offensive line. Chester andMoore are options at guard if they don’twin the job, whichcould bumpsomeoneelse out of the lineup. Thompson also has versatility,soLSU can try different combinations through theend of the spring and into preseason camp
“There’sgoing to be intense competition for those five positions allyear,” Kelly said. “It’snot going to get to acertaindateand go, ‘Well, there’snocompetition anymore.’ We have more than five guys that can play in the SECupthere. The pressure will be on each and every week.”
that found the franchise violated league rules regarding impermissible player benefits andworkplace policies.
Bueckers is among 16 prospects who will be at the draft. The group includes Malonga and TCU guard Hailey VanLith. Before they head over forthe WNBA’s“Orange Carpet”, theprospects will visit the Empire State Building fora lighting ceremony celebrating the league’sdraft.
Here are some other tidbits for Monday night’sdraft: Foreign flavor
The6-foot-6Malonga isn’tthe only foreign player in the draft whohas honed her skills in France.
Juste Jocyte, Malonga’sLyon teammate in the French basketball league,isalso expected to be taken in the first round.
Jocyteisaversatile playerwho canplay any of the guard positions and is really effective in the pick and roll. The Lithuanian, whois also 19 yearsold, scored 22 points against BelgiuminEuroBasket qualifying afew months ago. She has atoughness about her and is fundamentally sound.
“She’s left-handedand knows how to play with or without the ball in her hands,” former Mystics coach Mike Thibault said. “Not a truepoint guard, but can handle the ball. She’s asmart playerwho knows how to use screens.”
AjsaSivka of Slovenia also could be afirst round choice. She’sa
CARR
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evaluate for the future. Carr’s contract already was set to expire after the2026 season,and he’sset to enter that year witha $69 million cap hit.
Moore did notmention anyinjury that Carr was dealing with when he metwith reporters at the NFL owners’ meetings last week.
“Every team in the NFLisalwaystrying to bring in quarterbacks and developthemunder anycircumstance,” Moore said.
“And so everyonedoes homework every year on quarterbacks. It’sa very valuable position.
“So obviously,wefeel like we have Derek, who’splayed aton of footballand we feel great about. Then certainly,our organization has invested in quarterbacks the last few years. “ Moore said Carr’srestructure gave the Saints “flexibility” —it cleared $30 million in cap space —and added that he was “excited to have him back with us really shortly”whenthe offseasonprogram begins April 14.
At his introductory news conference in February,the firstyear Saints coach initially gave anoncommittalanswer about whether Carr would be back next season. But generalmanager Mickey Loomisand Mooreconfirmed later that month that Carr would return for2025, with Loomis telling reporters that “we feel like we have aguy we canwin with,
multilevelscoring forward with efficientshot-making ability. She made over 42% from the 3-point line.At6-foot-4, sheisadifficult matchup to defend.
“She hasall the skills to be agood playerinthe WNBA,” Thibault said.
Starting from scratch
The Golden State Valkyries are entering the league as an expansion franchise and have the fifth pick in the draft. The Valkyries had their expansion player draft and will now look to potentially find acornerstone player to go with them. Potential candidates forthe Valkyries include Southern California’sKiki Iriafen and LSU’s Aneesah Morrow
“I do think arookie could come in and contributebecause this is it’sanew team,” ESPN analyst Andraya Carter said. “It’sanew team that is developing, and Ithink this pick will be chosenspecifically to try and fitwhat the Valkyries are trying to build. They’re starting theirfranchise,soI expect the Valkyries to be very intentional withthis pick, as someone that fanswill be excited about, that will fitthe culture, fitthe system.” Newvenue
The draft will be held in New York at TheShed and will have fans in attendance for the second consecutive year.The league will hold an Orange Carpet for the arrival of the draftees.
and we’re excited about it.”
The Saints have gone 14-13 with Carr as astarter in thetwo seasons since signing him to afour-year, $150 million contract. The former Las Vegas Raidersstandout missed seven games last season, includingthe last four becauseof ahand injuryafter he got hurt attempting to dive for a first down againstthe New York Giants. The origin of Carr’sshoulder injury is not yet publicly known. A league source with knowledge of the situation said theinjury is not relatedtothe fall the 34-year-old took last year against the Giants. Outside of possibly adding a quarterback in the draft, the Saints could, in theory,lookto add at the position in free agency.Aaron Rodgers remains available, but the 41-year-old has been linked to thePittsburgh Steelers as he contemplates whetherto play again. According to Over The Cap, theSaints have $28.3 million in salary-cap space available.Otherveteran options out there include Carson Wentz, Jeff Driskel and Teddy Bridgewater The NFL draft is April 24-26. Notcounting the1981 supplementaldraft,the Saints have not used a first-round pick on aquarterback in 53 years —the longest suchstreak in the NFL. The Saints,however, havetaken quarterbacks in back-to-back drafts with Rattler (2024 fifth round) and Haener (2023 fourth round).
STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON
LSUcenter/guard DJ Chester waits his turn during a spring practice on March 22 at the LSUpractice fields.
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By AARON FLAUM
PaigeBueckersofUConn reacts before speaking to fans during a welcomehome rally for the team on MondayinStorrs, Conn.
Sophomore earns topgirls hoops honor
OakGrove player namedMissBasketball
BY ROBIN FAMBROUGH Staff writer
She was the water girl and a fixture on thebus travelingtoOak Grove boysbasketball games with her father
When there was abreak, Caroline Bradley was that kid. The one who saw the opening,grabbed abasketball and launched afew shots.
Now people line up to see the 6-foot-5 sophomore play.She is already atop-five nationalrecruit for2027, the LHSAA girls basketball tournament MVPand the Gatorade Louisiana Player of the Year.Now Bradley has added one more honor.She has beenselected as the 2025 LSWAMiss Basketball by astatewide panel of sportswriters.
“Especially in high school basketball, you have to figure out the ways you can be effective for your team,” Bradley said. “I came into this year knowing my role would be to take alot of shots and score more points. Ihad to be vocal.
“Wedidn’t win the state championship, butIthink we got important things accomplished. And we built relationships Iknow Iwill cherish forever.Seeing that next generation of little girls who were excitedtowatch us play inHammond (at the LHSAA tourney) was truly incredible.” Bradley averaged 20.6 points, 14.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.6 blocked shots per game as asophomore. She dominated play in the Division III nonselect semifinals and final, with two 30-pointplus/20rebound plus performances. Bradley finishedwith 38 points and22 rebounds in Oakdale’s48-43 titlegame win over Oak Grove.Her totals included 18 of 26 field-goal shooting and six blocked shots. It was the second LHSAA tourney berth in three years for Bradley and the Tigers from West Carroll Parish, who count the Bradleys as one of thearea’s most accomplished sports families.
Her father,Josh, theOak Grove boys basketball coach, was an LSU football signee who went on to excel at LouisianaTech. Her mother, Emily,played basketball at Louisiana College. Older brother Jackson is aLouisianaTech signee and an all-state quarterback.
As soon as she began playing organized basketball at ageeight, Bradley stood out. And not just because of her height. Bradley gave up her second sport, softball, after her seventh-grade season to focus on basketball. Bradley plays for the Arkansas Mavs AAU program
MISS BASKETBALL WINNERS
1996: JudyClark, Singer
1997: Kisha James, Pineville
1998: Kisha James, Pineville
1999: AshleyAntony,Anacoco
2000: AlanaBeard, SouthwoodShreveport
2001: Seimone Augustus, Capitol
2002: Seimone Augustus, Capitol
2003: Katie Antony,Anacoco
2004: Quianna Chaney, SouthernLab
2005: CourtneeHollins, Fairview
2006: Alexis Rack, Franklin
2007: Tarkeisha Wysinger, Many
2008: Deana Allen,Ellender
2009: Kylie Leonards,Fairview
2010: TheresaPlaisance,Vanderbilt
Catholic
2011: Tina Roy, Kaplan
2012: Lulu Perry, Benton
2013: La’Dencia Johnson, Rayville
2014: Kalani Brown, Salmen
2015: Kalani Brown, Salmen
2016: Cara Ursin,Destrehan
2017: CaraUrsin, Destrehan
2018: KourtneyWeber,Ursuline
2019: Tiarayoung,Walker
2020: Jerkaila Jordan, John Curtis
2021: Jeriah Warren, LaGrange
2022: Mikaylah Williams, Parkway
2023: Mikaylah Williams, Parkway
2024: Jada Richard, Lafayette
Christian
2025: Caroline Bradley,Oak Grove
andwas part of aUSA Basketball training programduringthe recent NCAA women’sFinal Fourin Tampa.
“Her attention to detail is somethingtosee,” coachLee Johnson said. “She works on it until she gets it. Shewill work on mobility,post moves, ball-handling whatever sheneeds to do.And afterthat camp in Tampa, she’ll come back in with more things to work on.”
Oakdalecoach Renotta Edwards got to see Bradley on film and in person at the Division III nonselect final. Though theplanwas to let Bradley scoreand limit her teammates, Edwards acknowledged the challenge andpraised
Bradley
“The sky is the limit for herbecause she’sonly in the 10thgrade,” Edwardssaid.“Shehas soft hands, agreat shooting touch around the rim but you also know shecan shoot the 3. Youcan see she’sa good teammate. And you know she is going to addtoher game.”
Alcorn defeatsSouthern, picksupfirstSWACwin
BY TOYLOY BROWNIII Staff writer
Southern baseball is no stranger to comebacks. But againstthe last-place team in theSouthwestern Athletic Conference on Fridaynight, the Jaguars didn’thave enough in the tank.
AlcornState beat Southern 11-7 in the opener of athree-game series on Friday at Lee-Hines Field. The Braves (5-25, 1-12 SWAC) earned their firstwin in the SWAC behind 13 hits.
The Jaguars’ batseventually heated up after acold stretch in the middle of the contest,but their defense didn’thold up.
Southern (13-19, 5-8) started the contest with a1-2-3 inning ledby starting left-handed pitcher Ranard Grace. The redshirt junior struck out four and allowed eight hitsinsix innings.
In thebottom of the first inning, left fielder CardellThibodeaux drilled atwo-run home runtoget Southern on the scoreboard. The junior entered leading the SWAC in batting average (.485) and is second in homeruns (12).
In thetop of thesecond inning, Alcorn responded with three
Baseball Friday’s games Livonia 4, Westminster Christian 3 Mandeville 9, Dunham 2 Walker 6, Central 4 Saturday’s games St. Amant at Denham Springs, 11 a.m. Family Christian at EastFeliciana, 11 a.m. Zachary at Catholic, noon Slaughter Charter at Port Allen, noon WillowSchool at Plaquemine, noon Liberty at Woodlawn, noon Walker at East Ascension, 1p.m. Dutchtown at Live Oak, 1p.m. Hannan at Prairieville,1 p.m. Softball Friday’s games Maurepas 15, False River0 Dunham 5, Woodlawn 2 St. John 15, University 0 Lutcher 15, Ascension Catholic 2 Zachary 20, Karr 4 Central at Denham Springs,canceled Saturday’s games St. Thomas Aquinas at Holden, 10 a.m. Lutcher at Live Oak, 11 a.m. French Settlement at Northshore, noon Fisher at Ascension Catholic, noon Parkview Baptist vs.WestFeliciana at West Feliciana Sportsplex, 5p.m. Bowling LHSAAstate singles CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND Boys qualifying top 10 (Top 6tostepladder finals) 1Jonathan Cho, Jesuit —203-263-300 –766 2Cameron Lackey, Slidell –238-234-267 –739 3Jonathan Arena, Shaw–269-258-203 –730 3Joseph Anderson, Jesuit –259-247-224 –730 5Hunter Mullen, Slidell –227-246-253 –726 5Joshua Colins, Shaw–202-279-245 –726 5Sam Vollenweider, Brother Martin –244258-224 –726 8PriceMetzger,Airline –193-258-258 –709 9Hunter Simon, Loranger –227-242-239 –708 10 AnthonyLoupe, Hammond –244-237-225 –706 Note: Joseph Anderson wona10th frame rolloff for thirdand fourth placeinthe stepladder; Joshua Collinsand SamVollenweider wonthe 10th frame rolloff for fifth and sixspots FINALS Match 1–Sam Vollenweider247; Joshua Collins 214,Jonathan Arena 202 Match 2–Cameron Lackey 226; Vollenweider 195, JosephAnderson 177 Championship –Jonathan Chodef. Lackey 201-186 Girls qualifying top 10 (top 6tostepladder finals) 1Elizabeth Hamilton, Chapelle –226-255234 –715 2Olivia Bares,Chapelle –184-222-244 –650 3Lillian Simpson, Slidell –202-217-219 –638 4Caroline Engeron, Albany–212-183-224
runs. Alcorn shortstop Samuel Leonardhad atwo-run double. Thethird scorecame thanks to Reyfield Adams, who also had an RBI double. There wasalso an error from Southern to help fuel the inning.
The Jaguars wereunableto reply with arun after they had the bases loaded with two outs. Thibodeaux wasuptobat and couldn’tdeliver another hit.
Alcorn tacked on threemore runs for a6-2 lead in the third inning. First baseman Kalum Banks hammered atwo-run home run with nobody out. Leonardhad an RBI single afterward.
In the fourth inning, the Jaguars loaded the basesafterJacoby Radcliffe washit by apitch, and TajBates and KJ White were walked. Thibodeauxhad an RBI single to cut the deficit to three. Southern kept Alcorn scoreless for athird consecutive inning in the fifth. Grace struck outthree battersinthe frame.
Alcorn’snext score wasdue to amisconnection between Grace and catcher Dominic Joseph, who had apitch get past him.With two outs, Alcorn’srunneronthird reached home plate to give the Braves a7-3 lead.
PREP REPORT
Gymnastics
LHSAA boys state meet at BRHS TEAM SCORES Division I: 1BRHS 181.5 Division II: 1BRHS 107.4 Overall State Champion: 1. BRHS 288.9 DivisionI Floor Exercise: 1DwayneJohnson, St Augustine, 12.3. 2Kai Lintott-Clary, Ben Franklin, 11.9. 3KadenFomig, St. Paul,11.8
2. Kemoni Dominguez, BRHS,6.8 All-Around: 1. Logan Pitts,Catholic, 51.6. 2 Kemoni Dominguez, BRHS,49.3. 3. Alfonso Fernandez, BRHS,36.8 Track and field Easter Classic-at LiveOak Boys Team scores: 1, Walker,130. 2, Central, 125½. 3, Denham Springs,82. 4, Hammond, 81. 5, Port Allen, 34. 6, LiveOak, 32. 7, Catholic-PC 23½. 8, St. Michael, 18. 9, Albany, 16. 10, East Iberville,15. 11, Brusly,14. 12, CentralPrivate, 8. 13, Springfield,6 Field events Shot put: 1, BrysonThomas, Walker,45-2½
Southern shortstop Benny Bikar successfully stole home to tack on arun in the sixth inning.
Sophomore righty pitcher Peyton Huff replaced Grace in the top of the seventh inning. After the sophomore struck out the first batter,hewalked the next two. The Braveswerealso the most daring in stealing bases. Alcorn pinch-hitter Jermel Ford drove in arun witha bloop single.He thenstole secondand third base. He reached home to give his team a9-4 lead after asuccessful bunt by Alcornthird baseman Ty Boze
The Southern bats remained cool in the seventh inning, not earning ahit after Alcorn brought in right-handed pitcher Edwin Guzman.
With twooutsinthe eighthinning, Bates drilled along ball for Southern, hisninth homerun of theseason,todrive in tworuns. Southern added one morerun but was scorelessinthe ninth after Alcorn tacked on two moreruns. Southern’snext game is Saturday at 3p.m. against Alcorn State at Lee-Hines Field.
Email Toyloy BrownIII at toyloy.brown@theadvocate.com.
Southernleft fielder Cardell Thibodeaux,left, and Jaden Brasseaux jump for joyafter Thibodeaux hit atworunhomerun against AlcornState on FridayatLee-Hines Field.
STAFF FILE PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON
Oak Grove center Caroline Bradley, right, jockeysfor position against an Oakdale defender in the Division III nonselect championship game on March 8atthe University Center in Hammond.
THE 89TH MASTERS
Burns ends streak of missed cuts
BY SCOTT RABALAIS Staff writer
AUGUSTA, Ga. There will be a Tiger playing the weekend at the Masters —anLSU Tiger
Sam Burns overcame breezyconditionsand slickgreens Friday to shoot asecond-round 2-under-par 70. That put him in atie for 22nd heading into the weekend at 1-under 143 Burns missed the cut in his three starts prior to the Masters. He appeared to be headed for afourth straight early weekendwhen a bogey-double bogey run Thursday at 10 and 11 put him at 3over. Burns turned it around, however, playing the next 25 holes in 4under
This is the Shreveport native’s fourth Masters and second made cut. He tied for 29th in 2023. Friday’s 70 was just Burns’ third under-par round in 10 total rounds at Augusta.
Expanded coverage
CBS takes over weekend broadcast coverage of the Masters for a70th straight year,anunrivaled sports broadcasting partnership that will have even more coverage for golf fans.
CBS and Augusta National Golf Club announced back in September that the network’scoverage of Saturday’s round will begin at 1p.m., the same as has been the case with Sunday’s final round. Additionally,there will be two hours of live streaming coverage per day on Paramount+, starting at 11 a.m.
CBS and the Masters have the longest-runningpartnership in sports broadcasting, dating back to 1956,reportedlyexisting on ayearto-year handshake agreement Louisiana, Zurich ties Former University High golfer
Patrick Reed,the 2018 Masters champion, also shot a70onFriday to go with Thursday’s71and is in the hunt at 3under in atie for 12th. It’s Reed’s10thmade cut in 12 Masters starts and seventh straight. Reedistied with one of the Zurich Classic’sthree ambas-
sadorsinthe field: two-time major champion CollinMorikawa He shot a69Friday after an opening 72. Zurich ambassador Sahith Theegala stumbled to abogey-double bogeyfinish butstill shot his second-straight 72 to tie for 27th. Zurich’s Billy Horschel,a twotimewinner in New Orleans, shot 77-72 and missed the cut.
Former McNeese State golfer RobertMacIntyre of Scotland (75-75— 150) also missed the cut.
Dunlap carrieson
After shooting an opening-round 90, the worst score at the Masters in 10 years, PGATour rookie Nick Dunlap easily could have decided to withdraw Instead, with cheers of encouragement from the gallery Dunlap played on Friday with no hope of making the cut, which came at 2-over 146. Dunlap birdied two of his first four holes and bettered his Thursday scorebya whopping 19 strokes with a1-under71.
“I think alot of people would have maybebacked out,”Dunlap said. “Certainly Iwantedtoat times,Iknow that.
“I’mnever going to quit. I’m always going to show up.”
In January 2024, Dunlap won TheAmericanExpress tournament as an amateur at Alabama andadded avictory six months laterasa professional in the Barracuda Championship. He is scheduled to team with Will Zalatoris at the ZurichClassic.
Rose keepsleadwithpackofbig nameschasing
BY DOUG FERGUSON AP golf writer
AUGUSTA, Ga. Justin Rose did just enough keep the lead Friday in the Masters, but he has alot of company going into the weekend at Augusta National. Bryson DeChambeau became the only playerwith consecutive sub-70 rounds and got within one shot, putting him in the final group.
Rightbehind was Rory McIlroy, who puthis sloppy finish to the first round behindhim and roared into contention to put the career grand slam back into view Scottie Scheffler started his title defense with 24 straight holes without abogey.Hethen made five bogeys over thelast12holes to slow his progress. He still was only three shots behind.
“The leaderboard is stacking up very favorably for what looks like world-class players right up there,” Rose said after his1-under 71, which featured birdies on the par5sonthe front nine andonthe par 3s on the back nine. “So you’re goingtohavetoplaygreat golf, and you’re goingtohavetogoout there and want it and go for it and get after it. It’sassimpleasthat, really.” Rose took athree-shot lead into the second round and had the advantage of playing early,before the wind became strongenough to make flags snap and create just enough indecision.
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some putts to go in. Ithink overall I’m hitting reallygood putts. I’m just going to work on that this afternoon.”
Working on putting is one thing that has carried Day from agolfing abyssback to No. 36 in the world entering the Masters, one spot ahead of former LSU AllAmerican Sam Burns.
Somewhere between Tiger Woods’ dominance of the golf world and Scottie Scheffler’s current No. 1reign, Day had his day at No. 1. In the fall of 2015, shortly after winning his lone major in the PGA Championship at Whistling Straits, Day was on top of the world. But there were already signs of troubleamid all the great play During the 2015 U.S. Open,Day sufferedacompletely debilitatingbout of vertigo, thoughhe still managed to finish in atie for ninth. The vertigo has returned at times over the years, including at the 2023 Masters and that year’sworld match play cham-
He hit a9-iron overRae’sCreek to 4feet for birdie on the par-3 12th,and hestuffed his tee shot on the par-3 16th foranother birdie That allowed him to atone for a few mistakes.
He was at 8-under 136, thethird time he hashad the 36-hole lead at the Masters.
The buzz came from behind him.
DeChambeau picked up an unlikely birdie by holing abunker shot on the par-3 fourth hole on his way to a32onthe front nine that kept himonRose’sheels. He wound up with a68for his best start ever in the Masters.
“This is what golf is about,” DeChambeau said. “Got alot of great names up there, and looking forwardtoanunbelievabletest of golf.”
And then there was McIlroy,who had two double bogeys over the last four holes Thursday,the latest frustrating chapter for him at the Masters. Thistime, he managed to forgetabout it and move on.
He went birdie-birdie-par-eagle to start the back nine andwas on his way to abogey-free 66.
“I hadtoremind myselfIwas playing well,” McIlroy said. “I couldn’t let two bad holes dictate the narrative of the 16 good ones. Ialsohad to remind myself this morning not to push too hard too early.”
Corey Conners of Canadaquietly put together a70and joined McIlroy at 6-under 138.
In 1978, SeveBallesteros —playing the Masters on his 21st birthday— wassomovedbyplayingpartner Gary Player’swinning final-round 64 that he hugged himassoon as Playermade his finalputt on 18. Twoyearslater in1980, Ballesteros would win his owngreen jacket in dominatingfashion. He led by 10 strokes going tothe back nine Sundayand wonbyfourtobecome theyoungest Masterswinner at the time.The dashingBallesteros ushered in anew Masters era as its first Europeanchampion. Europeans have won13more times, including Seve in 1983, andnocountry besides theU.S.has more green jackets than Spain(six). Scott Rabalais
pionship. There also has been back trouble. It all contributed to a175th world ranking late in the 2022 season.
The group three shotsback included Scheffler (71), former British Open champion Shane Lowry (68) andTyrrellHatton, who got within one shot of Roseuntil apair of three-putts. One of them did a U-turn down the hill at the16th. Theother was asleepytap-in that lipped out.
It shapes up for awide-open weekend, ledbya 44-year-old from England who has gone adozen years since winning his only major at the2013 U.S.Open. Rose spoke last year aboutfinding another stretch of magic in his career,and opportunity awaits.
That’salso the case for DeChambeau, theU.S. Open champion; for
“IfIcan getmyself rolling the waythat Ifeel likeIcan, then Ifeel likeIcan getmyself into contention.”
JASON DAy,PGA pro
Day still has something of a glass constitution —hewithdrew on the eve of The Players last month with astomach bug. But there is reason foroptimism. Day only has one victory over thepast six years, the2023 Byron Nelson, but his game is generally trending upward.
He probably will never get back to No. 1inthe world. ButDay can still play,and he can play at this place. He tied for second in 2011, his very first Masters, and also was third in 2013 and tied for fifth in 2019. Day and the rest of the field are looking up at another veteran player looking to add some late-career major championship magic to his résumé: 44-year-old Justin Rose. He led by three after a firstround 65 and was still one up on last year’srunner-up, two-time
McIlroy,the sentimental favorite of so many at the Augusta National as he tries to get the last leg of the career Grand Slam; and for Scheffler,who coped with plenty of stress thecourse gave him Friday
“That’sthe company that Iexpect to keep, and that’swhere I have tried to be my whole career,” Rosesaid. “I’ve been atop-10 player in the world for adecade or more. So yeah, this is nice to be back in that mix.”
The cut was at 2-over 146, marking the end of 67-year-old Bernhard Langer’sMasters career.He needed to make a10-foot par putt on the last hole, only forittotickle theright side of the cup.
U.S. Open winner Bryson DeChambeau, after asecond-round 71 got Rose to 8under Rory McIlroy shook the pines at Augustaafter alateThursday collapse with doublebogeysat15 and 17 to rebound with a66Friday, putting him two back in hisquest to win the Masters andcomplete the careergrand slam. Andnever count out Scheffler,who hada wild 71 to finish in atie for fifth at 5 under Then there’sDay.There’s plentyofreason to remember thegreat golfer he has been, and what he could be once again if he finds just alittle bit of greatness this weekend.
“I feel likeI’m playing very nicely,” Day said. “We’ve got 36 holes left,sothere’salot of golf to be played.
“If Ican get myself rolling the way that Ifeel like Ican, then I feel like Ican get myself into contention.”
If he can, what Day ends up wearing Sunday night will be the mostfamous sports coat in the world.
For more LSUsports updates, sign up for ournewsletter at theadvocate.com/lsunewsletter
No.18: Holly
Par4,465 yards
Round 2average: 4.579
Rank: 1
Eagles: 0
Birdies: 2
Pars: 46
Bogeys: 40
Double bogeys or worse:7
Howitplayed: Harder than a diamond, that’show.Always a stout finish, No.18was made eventougherbylate-afternoon winds that shredded the field.The hole playedatotal of 55-overpar comparedto+29 forthe secondhardest hole,the par-3 fourth More bogeysand highernumbers (47) than pars (46) tell the story of Friday’scarnage.
Scott Rabalais
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTOByDAVID J. PHILLIP Justin Rose celebrates on the 17th hole during the second round at the Masters on Friday in Augusta, Ga
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ASHLEy LANDIS
Sam Burns wavesafter making aputt on the second hole during the second round at the Masters tournament on FridayinAugusta, Ga
SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE
LSU club prepares annual ‘Singeaux’ revue
BY ROBIN MILLER Staff writer
From “Frozen” to “Chicago,” the Musical Theatre Club at LSU will have something for everyone when it stages its annual “Singeaux” on April 17. The musical revue of popular Broadway numbers will start at 7 p.m. in the LSU Union Theater, Veterans Drive, on campus. Admission is free.
“We’ll be performing 18 songs,” said Jasmine Garrison, who is co-directing the show with Jada Petrie. “The lineup will include ‘You Can’t Stop the Beat’ from ‘Hairspray,’ ‘What Did I Miss?’ from ‘Hamilton’ and ‘What Do You Know About Love’ from ‘Frozen the Musical.’ The ‘Frozen’ song is one I don’t think a lot of people know about, but it’s really good, and we’re kind of putting our own spin on it.” Also in the lineup will be “I Know It’s Today” from “Shrek the Musical,” “Magic to Do” from “Pippin,” “All That Jazz” from “Chicago,” and “Mein Herr” from “Cabaret.”
STAFF PHOTO By ROBIN MILLER
The Musical Theatre Club at LSU rehearses ‘Magic to Do’ from ‘Pippin’ in the Old LSU Tiger Band Hall. The number is in a lineup of 18 Broadway tunes in the club’s annual ‘Singeaux’ musical revue to be performed on April 17.
“There are more, but those are our big ones,” Petrie said. “And it’s a good mix.” Each number will be accompanied by a live band led by Kason Hebert, who is a member of the Tiger Band. The show will include multiple horns, including a saxophone, tuba and trumpet, as well as a pianist, guitar and drummer
Some numbers will feature the show’s 40 cast members performing as a group. Others will be performed in smaller ensembles, trios, duos and solos.
“And we’ll be fully costumed,” Petrie said “We’ll be changing costumes for every song.”
All-volunteer show
The Musical Theatre Club at LSU’s has an all-volunteer membership of students representing a variety of majors across campus Those performing in “Singeaux” were required to schedule both voice and dance auditions.
“The dance auditions weren’t really about whether they could dance or not,” Garrison said “We have two choreographers working on this show and we needed to know which choreographer to assign the cast members to.”
The choreographers include Dominic Joseph and Maddy Atrainer Garrison not only is co-directing the show but is comusic director alongside Callie Ancelet, who also is the show’s vocal coach.
BY LAUREN CHERAMIE
Staff writer
Spring is in the air in Augusta, Georgia, which means the 89th Masters Tournament is upon us.
Aside from the iconic gnomes and commemorative pins the Masters is also known for its $1.50 pimento cheese sandwiches, wrapped in fairway-green plastic bags, egg salad sandwiches and signature azalea cocktail.
The Masters released Taste of the Masters kits, now sold out, to celebrate at home. The large hosting kit featured pimento cheese, egg salad, pork barbecue and classic concession items, while the azalea kit included nonalcoholic azalea cocktail mix, cups, coasters, a cocktail jigger and custom stirrers.
Lucky for us, the Masters released its cocktail recipe, so fans can make a homemade azalea: Mix 1¼ ounces of vodka, 5 ounces of lemonade and a half ounce of grenadine over ice with a cherry and orange slice garnish. This year, the Masters finals teed off Thursday To celebrate in Baton Rouge, check out these local res-
The Baton Rouge Chorus of Sweet Adelines are performing in the 10th anniversary of Total Vocal on the Distinguished Concerts International New york. The concert starts at 6 p.m. Central Time April 12 in David Geffen Hall at Lincoln Center
PROVIDED PHOTO By BATON ROUGE CHORUS OF SWEET ADELINES
(pack of 20 for $5) and cups (set of 10 for $17) from The Royal Standard, 16016 Perkins Road and 2877 Perkins Road in Baton Rouge. Add some whimsy to the kitchen with a golf cocktail cotton kitchen towel ($22.95) and set of 10 shatterproof cups ($28.95) from The Keeping Room, 3535 Perkins Road, Baton Rouge.
Keep a drink cold with this silicone ice mold ($14.99) in the shape of a golf ball at Messengers 15226 George O’Neal Road, Baton Rouge. The mold is dishwasher safe and makes a 2-inch ice sphere. For pimento cheese
taurants, grocery stores and boutiques with decor pimento cheese, egg salad and barbecue options. For hosting decor
Every good host knows that themed decor makes a party For a fun Masters-at-home party, pick up the “Partee Time” cocktail napkins
Elsie’s Plate and Pie, 3145 Government St., Baton Rouge, has three pimento cheese options on its catering menu. The smoky threecheese pimento platter ($60 per tray) includes smoked Gouda, cheddar and pepper jack on crostini with Arlington House pineapple pepper jelly The pimento salad ($50
ROBIN MILLER Staff writer
PROVIDED PHOTO
‘Partee Time’ cocktail napkins (pack of 20 for $5) from The Royal Standard, 16016 Perkins Road and 2877 Perkins Road in Baton Rouge.
Miss Manners’ handytipsfor saving seatsatevents
are just in the bathroom
Dear Miss Manners: Whatexactly are the rules for saving seatsat an informal event where seats are not assigned?
When Iwas invited to my nephew’smartial arts presentation, Iarrived half an hour early to save seats for my familyof five (three of us were present) because the others were coming from work and couldn’tarrive early Awoman came and sat in one of the saved seats, even though my jacket was on the seat, and Ipolitely told her that it was reserved.
of other seats available, although admittedly my savedseats had a better view, which is why I arrived early
The woman refused to moveand passiveaggressively had her teenagesons come and sit next to her and basically half-sitonmylap. Iended up moving because Iwas uncomfortable andhad to stand in the back and miss the action and opportunity to take photos. It truly ruined my night.Was IwrongtoassumeI could savethe seats?
There was no admission fee for the event, and there were plenty
Gentle reader: It is when whole front rows are saved at the middleschool play that Miss Manners
RELIGION BRIEFS FROM STAFFREPORTS
Holy Week at St. Joseph Cathedral
St. Joseph Cathedral, 401 Main
St., Baton Rouge, will mark Holy Week with aseries of liturgies led by Bishop Michael G. Duca and Cathedral Rector the Rev.J.Cary Bani.
n Palm Sunday: Palmswill be blessed and distributed at Masses at 4p.m. Saturday and 8:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. Sunday n Chrism Mass: At 10:30a.m Tuesday,Duca and diocesan priests will renew priestly vows Sacred oils for sacraments will be consecrated.
n Holy Thursday: The Mass of the Lord’sSupper begins at 6p.m. Thursday,followedbyprayer before the Blessed Sacramentuntil 8p.m
n Good Friday: The outdoor Wayofthe Cross begins at 9a.m Friday,April 18, with awalkfrom thecathedralplaza to theState Capitol. The Solemn Liturgy of Good Friday follows at 3p.m., including Veneration of theCross with arelic of the True Cross.
n Holy Saturday: TheGreat Easter Vigil begins at 8p.m. Saturday,April 19,with theService of Light, readings, Gloria, First Mass of Easterand sacraments for new members.
n Easter Sunday: Masses at 8:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. Sunday, April 20, include the renewal of baptismal promises. All are invited to attend. Services will be broadcast live on CatholicLife TV (Cox Channel
15, Facebook,Roku, FireTVand YouTube)
For moreinformation, call(225) 387-5928 or emailoffice@cathedralbr.org.
St. MaryBaptist offers leadership schooling
St. Mary Baptist Church, 1252 N. AcadianThruway,Baton Rouge, will offer two evening classes through its Christian Leadership School, from 6p.m. to 9p.m. April22–24
Courses include “Effective Bible Reading,” taught by theRev Rodney Freeman,and “Christian Stewardship,” taught by theRev Deborah McNealy
Registration is open through Wednesday.For more informationortosign up, contact the church office at (225) 387-2926.
Gloryland Baptist holdssummer program
GlorylandBaptist Church, 6745 Greenwell Springs Road, Baton Rouge, willhold its Summer EnrichmentProgram from 8a.m. to 3p.m. Mondays through Fridays, June 3-July25, with aftercare available until 6p.m.
The program is open to pre-K through eighthgrade students and includes reading, math, music,culturaland social activities, library visits,exercise, robotics andswim lessons. For moreinformation, call(225) 928-0436orrequest a flyerand application at green731@cox.net.
TODAYINHISTORY
By The Associated Press
Today is Saturday,April 12, the 102nd day of 2025. There are 263 days left in the year
Todayinhistory:
On April 12, 1961, Soviet cosmonautYuri Gagarin became the first human in space, orbiting the earth once before landing safely via parachute after a planned ejection from his space capsule
On this date:
In 1861, the U.S. Civil War began as Confederate forces opened fire on Fort Sumter in South Carolina
In 1954, Bill Haley and His Comets recorded “Rock Around the Clock,” asong often cited as bringing rock ‘n’ roll music into the mainstream when it was popularized in the film “The Blackboard Jungle” the followingyear
In 1955, the polio vaccine developed by Jonas Salk was declaredsafe and effective following nearly ayear of field trials undertaken by about 1.8mil-
lion American child volunteers dubbed “polio pioneers.”
In 1963, civil rights leader the Rev.Martin Luther King Jr.was arrested andjailed in Birmingham, Alabama, charged with contemptofcourt and parading without apermit. (During his time behind bars, King wrotehis “Letter from Birmingham Jail.”)
In 1981,the NASA Space Shuttle programbegan as Space Shuttle Columbia,the world’s first reusable spacecraft, lifted off from theKennedy Space Center
Today’sbirthdays: Musician Herbie Hancock is 85. Musician John Kay (Steppenwolf) is 81. Actor Ed O’Neill is 79. TV hostDavid Lettermanis78. Author Scott Turow is 76. Actor Andy Garcia is 69. Movie directorWalter Salles is 69. Country musician Vince Gill is 68. Actor-comedian Retta is 55. Actor Claire Danes is 46. Actor Jennifer Morrison is 46. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard is 44. Model-actor Brooklyn Decker is 38. Actor-comedian Ilana Glazer is 38. Actor Saoirse Ronan is 31.
declares rudeness. Her made-upbut reasonablesounding rule is this:Nomore than one seat saved per person already seated. So your situation qualified.
Butjust for free, she will give you another tip: Save seatsin between the three of you, instead of at the end (i.e.: person, empty seat,person, empty seat,person) Others will be less likely to want to climb in between and sit next to strangers. Then, when therest of your party getsthere, moveover.Ithelps if copious amounts of bags and coats are piled up on theempty seats—and makes it moreconvincing that those who are absent
Dear Miss Manners: Iwas in acoffee shop with my spouse when acouple of neighbors entered. They approached us and said hello.
Iwould have liked forthem to have joined us because we occasionally cat-sitfor each other,and Iwant to remain on good terms with them. Also, Iwas feeling social.
ButIdidn’tknow how to word theinvitation. “Would you like to join us?” seemstoleave them no good way outifthey do not happen to feellike socializing. Does Miss Manners have any suggestion regarding how to proceed in such circumstances?
Gentle reader: “Wewould love to have you join us” has asubtle difference to it. Since it is astatementand not aquestion, your neighbors have options, including answering without answering. They could 1. accept, 2. say, “Thank you, but we have apressing matter to discuss, and we don’twant to bore you” or,less desirably,3.say “Thank you,” go get their coffee and just never return. Miss Manners hopes for your sake that if they choose the third, it is not also how they approach sitting your cat. Send questions to Miss Manners at herwebsite,www missmanners.com.
MASTERS
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strawberry pepper jelly vinaigrette. The pimento BLTtray ($65 atray) features crispy bacon and three-cheese pimento on sourdough withlettuce and tomato.
At GourmetGirls,1660 Lobdell Ave., Baton Rouge, customers can choose from five options on the sandwich platter,which requires aminimumof48sandwichesper flavor ($68): jalapeñopimento, turkey and bacon figspread, ham andhot pepper jellyspread,apricot chicken salad and Italian olive salad. A48-hour notice is recommended for catering orders.
Counterspace,5621 Government St., Baton Rouge, debuted aMasters Tournamentmenu,whichincludespimento cheesedip, white bread pimento cheese sandwiches, lemonade and treats. Foregg salad
Pickupa deviledegg tray from the deli at Calvin’s,7675 Jefferson Highway, BatonRouge, or place an order for atraywiththe catering department at Oak PointFresh Market, 12732 Perkins Road,Baton Rouge.
At Maxwell’sMarket,6241Perkins Road and 7629 Corporate Blvd., in BatonRouge, customers can order atray of homemade egg salad sandwiches. A24-hour notice is recommended forcatering orders. The market also offers tubs of egg salad, pimentocheeseand other party-approved,take-home items. Chef Jennifer Scott says, “Wewill makeanything that they have at
Just likeatthe Masters, Counterspaceisoffering $1.50 pimento cheese sandwiches, as well as chicken salad dip, chicken salad sandwiches, salted chocolate chip cookies, sandwich trays and pimento cheese dip.
theMasters!!”
Forbarbecue
Choose from brisket quesadillas, smoked brisketchili,barbecue smoked meat boxes, sandwich boxes, barbecuebythe pound and more from the catering menuat Hannah QSmokehouse,4808 Government St., and9880 Bluebonnet Blvd., in Baton Rouge. The barbecuecatering menu at City Pork,2921 Government St., BatonRouge, includes options like pulled pork sliders, baby back ribs, brisket,wild boar flautas, pimento and cracklins and more. BRQ,10423 Jefferson Highway, BatonRouge, hasfourcatering packages that range from $325 to $495 andserveeight to 15 people
Depending on size, the packages generally includeselect meats, sides, boudin balls, smoked wings, potato chips, sauces and more.
If you want to tryyourhandat making pimento cheese, the recipe and process arequite simple. Homemade pimento cheese
12-ounce block of sharp yellow cheddar cheese
1(4-ounce)jar pimento peppers
¾cup mayonnaise
¼teaspoon cayenne pepper, plus more as needed
¼teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
*Optional: an 8-ounce block of cream cheese (at room temperature)
1. Grate cheddar cheese and place grated cheese in large mixing bowl.
2. If you choose to use the cream cheese, add it to the bowl.
3. Drain and rinse the pimento peppers. Chopthe peppers into smaller pieces.
4. Addthe pimientos, mayonnaise, cayenne pepper and Worcestershire sauce to the bowl of cheese.
5. Stir until evenly combined and spreadable.
6. Taste andseason withsalt, black pepper and morecayenne to your taste.
7. Serve on bread as sandwiches or withcrackers, toast points, or crudité. Refrigerate unused portion until ready to serve.
Add some whimsy to the kitchen withagolf cocktails cotton kitchen towel($22.95) and set of 10 shatterproof cups ($28.95)from The Keeping Room, 3535 Perkins Road, Baton Rouge.
REVUE
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“We’re also grateful to our stage manager Nico Wachtel, who hasbeenamazing,” Garrison said. “And though our assistant stage manager,Emma Hulse, had to drop out, she was instrumentalinputtingthisshow together.”
Rounding out the all-volunteer crew are costume director Sarah Walton, light
CHORUS
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be the only hometown singers at the concert. They’ll be joiningBaton Rougean Shelley Regner,best known as Bardin Bella’sAshley in the “Pitch Perfect”movie franchise.
Regnerhas since moved to Los Angeles, where she embarked on asuccessful acting career,but on April 12, she’ll share theTotalVoice spotlight with professional acappella ensemble Backtrack Vocals.
Still, the true stars of this show will be the 20 a cappellagroupstraveling from throughout the world to perform together on this night.
“Weare the only group that has been selectedfrom Louisiana,” said Sherry Barron, director of the Baton Rouge Chorus. “Weare also the only Sweet Adeline group that will be performing. The Distinguished Concerts International of New York tries to have afeature concertfromthe statewhere their featured performer is from. So, since Shelley is from Baton Rouge and in the‘PitchPerfect’ films, they looked at YouTube videos and found us, and it just matched up nicely. So, we were excited.”
Barbershopharmony
The BatonRouge Chorus is achapter of the nonprofit Sweet Adelines, an international women’ssinging organization founded in 1945 by Edna Mae Anderson in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Its goal is the promotion of barbershop harmony through education, performance and competition.
Baton Rouge’s chapterwas formed in 1966and continues to perform barbershop harmony
“But this is aconcertofall acappella groups, they’re not specifically barbershop style groups,”Barron said. “I think we’re probably the only barbershop singers that’ll be participatingin this.” This fact alone has created achallenge for the Baton Rouge group, whose arrangements usually are in four-part harmony,especially when singing such songs as Miley Cyrus’ “Flowers,” Harry Styles’ “Music for
designerLuke Suggs and set designers Logan Berezuik and Alicia Stanga. Adifferent perspective Garrison andPetrie, both from New Orleans, are seniors majoringinsocial work, and they’ve appliedsomeof which they’ve learned in class to their approach to staging “Singeaux.”
“Wereally wanted to direct the show from asocial work and trauma-informed perspective,” Garrison said. “That’sthe spin that we took
on directing this. We wanted to make sure that we understood that everyone in this production are students first, and people first. And we also acknowledge that when they step into the rehearsal space, they’re not always in the mindset for our show, becausethey have so much going on withschool and jobs.”
“So, we’ve led with that philosophy,and we think we’vebeen successfulso far,” Petrie added. The club has been rehearsing in theOld LSU Ti-
gerBandHalland another rehearsal space withinthe LSUMusic and Dramatic Arts Building. The students will move into the Union Theater for dress rehearsals two days before theperformance.
“We’ll be ready,”Petrie said. “Wecan’twait.” For moreinformation, visit tigerlink.lsu.edu/mtclsu/ home.
Email RobinMiller at romiller@theadvocate. com.
Center
a SushiRestaurant,” and Queen’siconic ballad“Somebody to Love.”
Those numbers are in the concert lineup,along with“I Could Write aBook,” “Just theWay YouAre,” “I Still Haven’tFound WhatI’m Looking For,”and “The Lion Sleeps Tonight.”
“’The Lion Sleeps Tonight’ will be the grand finale,” Barron said. “All of these have difficult music,and theyhave morethanfour parts. Some have anywhere between four and eight parts going at one time. Theywere all arranged by Deke Sharon, and if you’re familiar with hismusic, you know it’s prettyintense.”
An acappellastar Sharon is known in the acappellaworld as “The Father of Contemporary A Cappella” for his contributions to the genre, including founding theContemporary ACappellaSociety, hismusical arrangements and popularizing acappellathrough his work on “TheSing Off” and the “Pitch Perfect” films.
He will be directing this concert, and though the SweetAdelinesbegan rehearsing with thelarger group after arriving in New York on Wednesday,the chorus began its preparationin the fall.
Thechorus learned it was chosen in October,just as it was about to enter its season of local holiday performances.
“That’s ourbusyseason goingintoChristmas,”Barronsaid.“Then we hadto learn allofthese songs, so
we’vebeenworking fora little while.
Fundingthe trip
The Baton Rouge Chorus is madeupof27singersbetween the ages of 26 through 84. Twenty-threewill be making the trip, each paying her way
“Wehad fundraisers,” Barron said. “Everybody’s paying theirown way,but we hada friends andfamily concert, where we took donations, andwetook donations at someofour other performances.Wealsodid aperformance at the Main Library on Goodwood, and we were able to put out adonation bag there, too. So, we received monies from that, andwehad some individual contributors who wanted to help.”
Thechorus wasalso invited to give an individual performance on theWorld Trade Center site, but the group declineddue to time
constraints.
Otherperformances
Chorus members will return to Baton Rouge on April 13, then begin preparing for anational anthem performance for LSU’sMay 10 baseball gameagainst Arkansas in Alex Box Stadium. After that, they’llbegin rehearsing Christmas music.
“Wehave abig collaboration with theLouisiana Art & Science Museum this December,” Barronsaid. “They’ll be celebrating the 100th anniversary of thetrain depot buildingthey’rein, andthough it’s notyet set in stone, we think it’ll be on Dec. 20.”
Butfor now,the New York concert is top priority, where they’ll command the stage in eight-part harmony For moreinformation, visit BatonRougeChorus.org.
Email RobinMiller at romiller@theadvocate. com.
Dear Harriette: Irecently broke up with my boyfriend, and even though I know it wasthe right decision, Ican’tseem to stop thinking about him.We were together foralong time, and he wasabig part of my daily life. Now that he’sgone, everything feels empty Ikeep catching myself wanting to text him,wondering what he’sdoing and replaying our memories in my head. Even when Itry to distract myself with work, friends or hobbies, he still pops into my mind, and Ican’tseem to shake the feeling of missing him What makes it harder is that Igoback and forth between emotions. Some days, Ifeel strong and remind myself whywe broke up. Other days, Iromanticize our relationship and convince myself that maybe Imade amistake. I know deep downthat moving on is the best thing for me, but Ijust don’tknow how to stop obsessing over him and truly let go. How do Ibreak this cycle and moveforward without constantly thinking about him? —How To Let Go Dear HowToLet Go: Youhave to be patient. It takes time to let go of arelationship that wasmeaningful to you. Make up your mind that you are done. Do not contact him forany reason. When thoughts of him crop up, take adeep breath and invite yourself to let them go. Do not indulge any fantasies about him.Stop the wishing and daydreaming immediately Youhave the ability to be in control of yourself, including your thoughts. It may feel like abattle right now,but over time, you will grow to accept that this chapter of your lifeis over —aslong as you keep
the door shut. Do not call. Do not text. Do not troll his social media. Do not talk to your friends about him Move forward.
DearHarriette: Regarding “On the Road,” the female reader interested in solo travel: As aveteran female wanderer,Ihighly recommend solo travel. For one thing, people are often highly focused on what they want from ajourney, and sometimes with afriend, these desires can clash. There can be little room for compromise whentime is limited. In addition, if you go with a pal, this is the main person you’ll be talking with, but by yourself, you’re much more likely to interact with locals —even with language differences! —or other travelers. This points up one of the big pluses of travel: experiencing other cultures.
The only two unpleasant trips I’ve ever had were when Iwent with afriend and things weren’tworking out. Ialso recommend keeping the itinerary as flexible as possible, which can’thappen in agroup trip. Youdon’tknow how you’ll like aplace until you’ve been there. Go alone, and overcome any anxieties! —GoSolo DearGoSolo: Wow! This situation really hit anerve for alot of people. Thank you for sharing your perspective. Ithink that for anyone who is adventurous enough to go on asolo trip, that’s great. Iagree that when you are alone, you create space to do what youwant with no compromises. Just make sure somebody back home has your itinerary in case of emergency
Sendquestions to askharriette@ harriettecole.com.
PROVIDED PHOTO By BATONROUGE CHORUS OF SWEET ADELINES
The Baton RougeChorus of Sweet Adelines are performinginthe 10thanniversaryofTotal Vocalonthe Distinguished ConcertsInternational Newyork. The concertstarts at 6p.m. Central Time April12inDavid Geffen Hall at Lincoln
ARIEs (March 21-April19) Patience, intelligenceand direct, bold communication will help you make your way toward your goal. If you wantsomething, it's up to youtogoafter it withlogic, practical application and determination.
tAuRus (April 20-May 20) Pay attention to detail. Monitor changes to ensure that you get what you want. Apply government or corporateincentives to improve yourhome's functionality.
GEMInI (May 21-June 20) Develop outlets foryourskills, and market yourself forsuccess. Stick to the script and be carefulnot to exaggerate. Honesty and integrity will help build reliability and good work relationships
CAnCER (June 21-July 22) You'll impress someone with yoursavvy way of dealingwith peopleand working efficiently. Sethigh standards, andeveryone will wantyou on their team.
LEo (July 23-Aug. 22) Sit tight,tidy up loose ends and learn about something youwanttopursue that will help improve your life. Put more thought and energy intousing your talentsto subsidize yourincome.
VIRGo(Aug. 23-sept. 22) Join forces with an organization, club or someone who can help you bring about positive change. Social events will boost your morale and could lead to promising partnerships.
LIBRA(sept. 23-oct. 23) Slideinto your comfort zone. Amore efficientlifestyleorlivingspace will help lower
your overhead,leaving more cash for personaluse. Aunique offer is worth checking out
sCoRPIo (oct.24-nov. 22) Stay focused on your responsibilities. You'll be subject to criticism if youare too accommodating.Don't make amove or revealyour plans until everything is in place.
sAGIttARIus (nov. 23-Dec. 21) Bypass anyone or anything that is aggravatingyou.You wanttokeep your head clear and fend off disrupters andthose who want to exploit you. Attend social eventsthat involve health and fitness.
CAPRICoRn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Do your research,verify facts andrefuse to give in to emotional manipulation. Attending an event thatoffers something you've never encountered will change your perspective.
AQuARIus (Jan. 20-Feb.19) Check your bank balance, investments andtransactions. Review your current jobsituationand think about how you get along with your cohorts. Invest in yourself and your living space.
Celebrity Cipher cryptograms are created from quotations by famous people, past and present. Each letter inthe cipherstands for another.
toDAy's CLuE:E EQuALsM
CeLebrItY CIpher
Sudoku
InstructIons: Sudoku is anumber-placing puzzle based on a9x9 grid with several given numbers. Theobject is to place the numbers 1to9 in the empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once. Thedifficulty level of theSudoku increases from Monday to Sunday.
Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer
nea CroSSwordS
THewiZard oF id
BLondie
BaBY BLueS
Hi and LoiS
CurTiS
Bridge
By PHILLIP ALDER
Soren Kierkegaard said, “I see it all perfectly; there are two possible situations —one can either do this or that. My honest opinion and my friendly advice is this: do it or do notdoit— you will regret both.”
How depressingiftrue. At the bridge table,whenyouarefacedwithtwochoices, youhavetopick one of them or the game will grind to an unexpected stop! And often one choice will be successful. In this deal, South is in three no-trump. West leads afourth-highest spade seven and East puts up the queen.Declarer has two choices —win trick one or duck it. Whichshould he select?
West’sone-spade overcallwouldnot meet with universal approval, but it is almost de rigueur among tournament players these days. Get into the opponents’ auction, especially if youcan bid spades. Then, theymust go up one level to outbidyou in asuit.
South starts with six top tricks: one spade (given the opening lead), two hearts, one diamond and twoclubs. The extratrickscanbeobtainedfromthediamondsuit. And if that finesse is winning, declarer will win at least one overtrick. But whatifthe finesse is losing?
Then East might return aspade through South’sholding, andWest might cash four tricks in the suit. To try to stop
wuzzles
that from happening, declarer should duck the first trick; let East take it. East will return hissecond spade, but whenheregainsthe lead with thediamond king, he will not have aspade left. Or, if he did, spades mustbe4-3 and South would lose only three spades and one diamond.
EachWuzzle is awordriddle whichcreates adisguised word, phrase,name, place, saying, etc. For example:NOONGOOD =GOOD AFTERNOON
Previous answers:
word game
InstRuCtIons: 1. Words mustbeoffour or moreletters. 2. Words that acquire four letters by the addition of “s,” such as “bats” or “dies,”are not allowed. 3. Additional words made by adding a“d” or an “s” may not be used. 4. Proper nouns, slang words, or vulgar or sexually explicit words arenot allowed.
toDAy’sWoRD EAsEMEnt: EEZ-ment:Aninterest in landowned by another that entitles itsholder to alimited use.
Averagemark 33 words
Time limit 50 minutes
Can you find 45 or more words in EASEMENT?
yEstERDAy’sWoRD—BuFFEtInG
etui tiff tine
gift guff gunite
marmaduKe
Bizarro
hagar the horriBle
Pearls Before swiNe
garfield
B.C.
p EBRPHA website at www ebrpha.org.Publiccom‐mentsmay be submitted in writingnolater than 4:00 PM (CT),5/26/2025, viaemail to dmejia@ ebrpha orgorinwriting to EBRPHA Attn:Doris Mejía, 4731 NorthBlvd, BatonRouge,LA70806. A public hearingissched‐uled forMonday, May26, 2025, 4:00 PM (CT),atthe aboveaddress. 135047-APR7-14-7T $66.43
SUMMONSAND NOTICE TO:DEFENDANT JORGE AVILA: YOUARE HEREBY SUM‐MONEDand required to answer theComplaint for Removalfor theminor childinthisaction filed againstyou,the original of whichhas been filed in theOffice of theClerk of Courtfor Greenville Countyon01/17/2025, a copy of whichwillbede‐liveredtoyou upon your request, andtoserve a copy of your Answer to said Complaintuponthe undersignedattorneyfor thePlaintifftoRebecca Wray,Esq Attorney GreenvilleCountyDe‐partment of Social Ser‐vices, 352 Halton Rd.Ste 100, Greenville, S.C. 29607 within thirty (30) days followingthe date of ser‐vice upon you, exclusive of thedateofservice, andifyou fail to answer said Complaintwithin thetimestated, Plaintiff will applyfor aJudgment by Defaultagainst you forthe relief demanded in theComplaint.
Rebecca Wray,Esq SC Bar# 65414 StaffAttorney, SouthCarolina Department of Social Services 352 Halton Rd.Ste.100 Greenville, SouthCarolina29607 Becky.wray@dss.sc.gov 136206 April12, 19, 26, 3t $652.95
PUBLIC NOTICE
NOTICE theLa. Dept.of Energy andNatural Re‐sources, Office of CoastalManagement (OCM)has received the followingapplication(s) fora CoastalUse Permit (CUP)inaccordancewith theState andLocal CoastalResources Man‐agementAct of 1978, as amended, (La. R.S. 49:214.21-214.41),and the rulesand regulationsof theCoastal Resources Program.Applications forthe proposed work maybeinspected at 617 North3rd Street,Room 1078, BatonRouge,LAor on theOCM webpageat: http://dnr.louisiana.gov/ index.cfm?md=pagebui lder&tmp=home& pid=591. Copies maybe obtained upon payment of cost of copying. Writ‐tencomments, including suggestionsfor modifi‐cationsorobjectionsto theproposedworkand statingthe reasons thereof, arebeing so‐licitedfromthe public Commentsmustbere‐ceived within 25 days of thedateofpublication of this notice.Comments should be uploaded to ourelectronicrecord, but maybemailedor emailedtothe desig‐natedOCM Reviewer.All comments must contain theappropriateapplica‐tion numberand the
commenter'sfullname andcontact information. Anypersonmay request, in writing, within the commentperiodspeci‐fied in this notice,that a StateorFederal public hearingbeheldtocon‐siderthisapplication. Re‐quests forpublichear‐ings shallstate,withpar‐ticularity,the reasonsfor holdinga public hearing andmustcontain the name andcontact infor‐mation of therequester Beloware thereferenced application(s): *OCM;P.O.Box 44487, BatonRouge,LA 70804-4487; Phone: (225) 342-4515; Email: selena brown@la.gov;OCM Re‐viewer:SelenaBrown; CUPNUMBER: P20250245 Name:VermillionParish Police Jury c/oSellers & Associates 148 B. Easy St SuiteB Lafayette,LA 70506 Attn:Matthew Vin‐cent Location:Vermilion Parish,LA; Lat. 29-4450.12 N, Long.92-6-5.97 W Description: Install shorelineprotection structures alongthe NorthShore of Vermilion Bay. Approx.68,000 cy of rock fill will be required forthe installation
NOTICE theLa. Dept.of Energy andNatural Re‐sources, Office of CoastalManagement (OCM)has received are‐quest to extend forthe f d l
q referenced Coastal Use Permit in accordance with theState and Local CoastalResources Man‐agementAct of 1978, as amended, (Louisiana R.S. 49:214.21-214.41),and the rulesand regulationsof theCoastal Resources Program. Applicationfor theproposed work may be inspectedat617 North 3rdStreet,Room 1078, BatonRouge,LAoron theOCM webpageat: http://dnr.louisiana.gov/ index.cfm?md=pagebui lder&tmp=home& pid=591.Copiesmay be obtained upon payment of cost of copying. Writ‐tencomments, including suggestionsfor modifi‐cationsorobjectionsto the proposed work and statingthe reasons thereof, arebeing so‐licitedfromthe public Comments must be re‐ceived within 10 days of thedateofpublication of this notice.The sole rea‐sonfor notallowingex‐tensionbased upon pub‐liccomment shallbethat therehas been achange in theconditionsofthe area affected by theper‐mitsince thepermitwas originally issued.Com‐mentsshouldbeup‐loaded to ourelectronic record,but maybe mailed,faxed or emailed to thedesignated OCM Reviewer.All comments must containthe appro‐priate applicationnum‐berand thecommenter's
LA;, Lat. 29-16-09 N, Long.9012-53 W; Section14T21S R22E;NearBayou Lafourche; Approx.1 6 milesnorthwesterly from Leeville,LA. Description: Proposed propwashing and structures for drillingthe Olivia Prospect.Approx.3065 cy of material will be prop‐washed.OCM,P.O.Box 44487, BatonRouge,LA 70804-4487, Phone: (225) 342-9083, Email: melissa sherman2@la.gov, OCM Reviewer:Melissa Sher‐man, CUP NUMBER: P20200648(Extended) Name:Cameron Parish GravityDrainageDistrict #3,c/o K&MProject Ser‐vices, LLC1000 Country Club Road Lake Charles, La 70605 Attn:Mitch ThomasLocation: CameronParish, LA;, Lat 29 48' 20.29"N/ Long -93 15' 47.33"W(seeplats for specificproject coordi‐nates); Section26,30,31 &33, T14S-R9W;Section
